Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-11-19
Steel Interests
Favor Limitation,
Declares SchWah


New York, Nov. IS. '21-Speaking
THIS evening at the dinner given in
1 honor of Marshal Foch by the Ameri-
| can Iron and Steel Institute, Chas.
| NJ. Schwab said:
Great as he was in all the re-
| sponsibilities of war leadership,
| Marshal Foch will stand as the SUI
| preme representative in all history
| of unity of action and command.
Have you, my friends, ever thought
how frequently this profound prin-
| ciple of action applies in life and in
| dustry? Individuals and individual
interests can accomplish but little;
united effort and cooperation under
| single leadership can accomplish
anything. So it is, in industry, our
industry, all industry; unity Of
action, unity of command is the most
effective means to great results"
| When the war in Europe broke
| out and the safety of France was
| threatened, my sympathy-afd inter
| est went out to France with all the
ardor 1 possessed. And l may be
! permitted to relate a bit of history.
The war had been in progress only a
short time when / wrote a letter to
one of the leading statesmen of
France telling him that, if it would
help, we would gladly place the or
| dnance and armament manufacture
ing facilities of the Bethlehem Steel
Company at the disposal of the
French Government, believing, as-we
| 4 l,@ nv,Ir To-. nrI
nance plant in the world sufficiently
free and Independent to be in a po-
sition at that time to render such a
| service.
From the beginning to the end of
the war, our industry furnished for
war purposes nearly fifty million tons
of steel. The mere figure does not
picture to the mind what that means.
And yet fifty million tons of steel
would build modern railway ten
times around the earth.
During the war we talked of a
bridge Of ships" across the Atlantic.
Fifty million tons OF steel put into
the hulls of ships would actually
build a bridge of ships from the
United States to France.
After war comes peace. Our own
great General Grant, after our Civil
War, said: Let us have Peace"
The nation is prouder of that prayer
than of any warlike utterance he ever
made, and that sentence surrounds
his tomb in our city.
Let us have Peace" That sub
lime phrase of General Grants might
we'll be the motto of the World Con-
ference now assembled at Washing
ton.
! And I would like to take advan-
| tage of this occasion to say some
| thing which has long been upon my
heart, and which at this significant
moment it is clearly my duty to say.
! 1t was stated at some of the sessions
| Of the recent League of Nations
meeting in Geneva, it has often been
carelessly suggested in the press,
that the flame of war is in great meas
ure kept alive by those interested in
the private building of naval ships
and the manufacture of munitions of
war.
I can, of course, speak only for
myself. but | believe l know and ex-
press the sentiments of others placed
in similar positions to mine when
say this:
l am at the head of the largest war
materials manufacturing works in
the worldf The shipyards of my
company build more naval ships
than are built in any ether yards
under one management in the United
States. But, I have been thrilled be-
You'd expression, as has every good
| American, by the brilliant and states
manlike scheme laid before the Con-
ference at Washington by Secretary
| Hughes. The carrying out of that
plan may involve great monetary loss
in some quarters, but such thing
| as financial loss can be of no con-
| sideration when compared to the in
| estimable boon to mankind which
would be involved in the realization
of that magnificent plan. What red
blooded American would not, indeed,
make any sacrifice if the burden of
armament could be lifted from the
shoulders OF humanity. May God
| speed the day when this noble con-
/ ,o