Omaha daily bee., 1919-11-02
ENGLAND FEARS
INVASION FROM
U. S. INDUSTRY
British Working Man Lost
Ambition During War Serv-
ice and industries Feel
Loan Recalls, Claim.
BY EARLE c. REEVES.
international News Service Staff
Correspondent.

l 4.
London (By Mail. Why should
England and the English appear to
be so much alarmed over the pros
1pect of an American invasion7
The British workingnfan has long
been advertised as the most careful
and accurate in the world. England
has had and still has great colonies
feeding her with raw materials. She
has lost many ships, but she still has
/ a tremendous number left and more
building. America is 5000 miles
away, and she has never shown any
special cleverness at foreign trade.
Such writers as Marcossin, who
have had entrance to scores of gov
crnment departments, have pictured
the smoothness and completeness
Of the British industrial machine, as
organized for war purposes. This
genius for organization, for manu-
featuring the things needed by mill
lions of men in wartime surely has
not crumbled overnight, or has it?
Situation Is Jumbled.
The situation in England which
causes many persons to cast an en-
vious and fearful eye toward Amer
lea is jumbled at best, and as yet
rather hazy. But certain things are
visible to the naked eye OF an or
binary mortal.
England-composed of such peo-
pie as you and the other fellow, the
ones who work with their hands or
at desks-is tired.
That other England-the one
composed Of the men who have
things in plenty, money, shops, fac
tories and the like-is little bit
afraid.
Now consider the first class:
Part of them are the men who
have been "over there" They have
been over the top. There were
several millions of Englishmen all
over the empire who were worry
ing along, barely keeping the wolf
from the door. To them war meant,
they believed, bleak ruin for their
families. But they Joined up and
got their shilling a day. Somehow
their famies got along.
Had to Be Done.
They went over the top because
il had to be done. 1t might get
them or it might not. They might
come home or they might not.
They had been over the top before
and they had come through; maybe
they'd come through this time. They
left their families destitute and
somehow things worked around
fairly we'll in the end. +
The old urge" get up and go
to work today, obey all rules, writ
ten and unwritten, and, above all,
cling to that job else your family
may starve, has gone.
eff | have had no responsibilities
for four years except what my i'm
mediate commander willed, and if
| have idled through long lulfs dur
ing which the lines were merely
held and if now / am bit tired
Of everything, why should I worry
about another job? And if things
are not right at the shop and | need
more money, why should work
until they are right and until | get
what's coming to me!" That is
something Of the spirit which rules
among the men who work with
their hands.
Perfect on Paper.
England was a gigantic industrial
machine, attuned to war needs, bot
the American magazine reportersY
who typed the story of this organi-
cation saw it from the inside of
government department, where the
theoretical organization was perfect
on paper. The industrial organiza-
ton which turned toward peacelwas
not as smooth thing as we have
been led to suppose.
The men who own things in Eng
land are, moreover, among the most
conservative in the world. So they
are inherently afraid of taking big
chances at any time, Il