Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-02-02
is PEACE ALSO HELT?
!OUERY OF INDUSTRIES.
WITH WAR WORK GONE
James H. Collins Writes of Difficulties
Encountered in Getting Back to
Normal Business Footing.
BY JAMES II. COLLINS.

BY JAMES II. COLLINS.
r YP to the time we entered the
war Henry Goblet Was z
Frj6-eoort tco;maker who
had never worked for any
thing but wages. Demand Tor
tools and gauges was oferWhel'hfES'
Henry had some money in the bank, 50
he set up little tool shop of his own
Wall street never put anything to-
Izether more uosly-Henry is
Connecticut Yankee. With his savings
he rented shop and got some ma
chinery. Then he utilized has acquain-
lance with other mechanics to hire
little work force of skillful men. The
big Bridgeport rifle plant had to hire
ten men to get one. and then perhaps
train him in toolmaking. Henry knew
where his men were in The 'non-es-
sertiap' shops. He picked them care
fil'ty-and nc picked no lemons. Ihen
i. got a subeontraet for Tools from
big prime contractor making
munitions. and with 4 loan from "A
Hal,l, MS soon doing & i3rotiia BE bust
.525s.
Cash Had Come Weekly.
The Goblet TooI Cou1pary employed
4 dozen men at the tine the arH9iStlce
vas signed. Wages san froi.l 90 zen -, -
70 St.tU ;lu hour making { pay roll Of
SEQ. to %&Ge weekly, more when there
Evaa overtime. The output was "'cFih
from $2,G@1 TO S3-hen EeeEly. Each
week. Is fast AZ the product vas tie
Evered and accepted. the prime con-
tractor. r,a.l Henry Cohbctt, ana used
mis- finished products in making other
p.pducts, which within two or three
months were delivered TO the govern
naent and paid for
AS long rs we were at war Uncle
Sam protected subcontractnrs like
Henry Goblet. The government Sys-
ternaticaliy secuted for them set ihenl
up in business. adapted their f2ciiittes
to war work if they were "lreadE "s-
tabIished bought them machinery,
gave them priority over labor. ma
terials and freight, paid them prompt
" and furnished support through Tie
banks.
But suddenly the war ended. and
within a week contracts were being
Cancelled. Washington made TeassGr-
ing statements about gradual DIVER
sion of industry to peace production.
1t assured the public that ii would DO
nothing to disturb prosperity and salG
all would be well as soon as industry
this diversion it authorized the big
prime contractor for whom Henry
Goblet worked to finish up a large
quantity of munitions.
output No Longer Needed.
But that stopped the Goblet Tool
Company instantly. For no more tools
or gauges were needed All the parts
required for munitions to finish out
4. o.fc al re- u flT O.
Only the assembling remained, so that
the assem- bling department could
work for few weeks longer, while
thousands of employees making parts
and all subcontractors like Henry
Goblet were laid off then and there.
Taper off gradually" was Washing
tons advice, and it seemed wise coun-
sci to the public. But, viewed from
the standpoint of Henry Cobbett.
Washington's policy sounded like
taper OF gradually-bingr"
Washington was really flying in a
battle plane of great power and high
speed. 1t had to make as good a land
ing as possible. The government was
under popular pressure for economy.
War industries had been brought up
to tremendous producing capacities.
Stopping the vast output was neces-
sariiy a drastic process.
- War work was done largely by sub
contractors. Probably three business
concerns out of every four through
New England and the east were SUBJ
contractors. Big machine tool con-
Germs had subcontractors to build the
equipment needed by munitions fac
tories. Little concerns making every
thing from piano-piayer parts to ten
cent teaspoons took subcontracts for |
the odds and ends needed in the war /
program. Hardly little family fac |
tory up the creek in New England, |
with its tiny water power and half |
dozen employees but had some sort of |
a Subcontract.
New Jobs at Stake.
There will be a good many work
ers out of jobs throughout the east |
this winter in centers like Bridge
port. Upon the ability of the sub |
to develop peace produc- 1
ton will depend the landing of a new |
job by the idle war worker and the \
returning soldier. The government
owes hundreds of millions of dollars
10 war contractors of all kinds. This
capital is urgently needed to finance
peace production. Winding up all
he big and little contracts is a COM
olex business. calling for almost end
ess accounting, inventories and ad-
iustments. If it could all be done
lcackiy manufacturers would still
lace difficult problems in getting
pack to normal. Present Indications
Ire that it will take the government
months to settle, and in some cases
perhaps years.
Bridgeport has more than 200 sepa-
ate factories. The writer heard Of
,nly two which had done no war
work. One was concern which for
'ears had made dolls shoes and
stockings. The other is a mechanical
oy factory, which had little ma
,hinery suited to war work Prac-
ically all it's employees went into
'ther factories. however. and it was
10 starved for material that last fall
he proprietor. with new smoke
stack to erect. could not get four
.ngle irons to support it because.
,eing classed as a 'non-esse entail IN
lustry." nobody could sell him al
,ound of angle iron. At that before
he war ended. he worked with the ,
hipping board. designing toy tramp
teamers to stimulate youthful in
crest in our American merchant MA
inc.
Many Subcontracts Let.
Rifles, machine guns. revolvers and {
Were Bridgeport's big con-
ribution to the war program. and
he Remington Company's great car
ridge factories and armory employed ;
early half the workers in the town. |
tut even corporation of that ma gni-