Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1923-11-15

of industrial preparedness. The les
sons of the great war were learned.
Plans have been made so that in case
Of another conflict in the future, near
or remote, the profteer will be absent
from the scene.
"The plan for Industrial mobiliZa-
tion," the assistant secretary of war
says, ''can be divided into three main
questions, namely: What does the
army require? Where can the require
ments be purchased? And Who will
purchase them? The problem of figur-
ing the requirements involves the con-
sideration of $4,000 major items and
100000 items in all, and it has prac-
tically been solved.
IF this work had been done before
the World war it would have saved
months of time and literally billions of
dollars, as in one of the major items
alone it is figured that saving OF
$24O,0O0000 would have been made.
Same Principles as to Fan Power.
The War department has declared
that the principles underlying indus
trial preparedness are similar to those
underlying man-poWer preparedness.
Its spokesman has said: I'VE must
have sufficient man power trained and
ready to fight and able at least to
protect the country until it can de-
velop the necessary reinforcements
from the civilian body. This force,
from the standpoint of economy, should
be the minimum necessary to accom-
plish this objective. The better the
plans for the early development OF re-
Inducements, the smaller may be the
permanent force necessary"
In touching on industrial mobiliza-
| tion, of which there was nothing prior
to the World war, the War department
says that war requirements depend
upon the size and rate of mobilization
of our probable war army, the initial
supplies of all kinds required by such
an army and the probable rate OF con-
sumption of such supplies.
Plans already have been made which
provide for seven supply branches. In
fact these branches already are at
work. They are calculating the re-
Quirements, not because war is ex-
pected, but simply to make defense
easier for the American people If ever
| they should be attacked. The country
has been divided into districts and
each chief of a supply branch is as
pertaining through his district chief
the ability of that district industrially
to help him solve his war problems.
With the knowledge thus obtained it
| is possible to allocate definite war or
ders to particular plants. This survey,
| it is claimed, is extremely valuable be-
cause the War department through It
is getting intimately acquainted with
| the industries of the country.
Like a Huge Department Store.
Assistant Secretary of War Davis
has compared the War department in
the matter of supplies to huge de-
| partment store. He says:
ut must carry in stock thousands of
different items, ranging from shoe
laces to locomotives, and from buttons
to automobiles. It is dealing with
thousands of customers. Like de
partment store, it cannot concentrate
all its buying in one purchasing agency
and that is why. it is decentralizing
into seven supply branches, each of
which has separate and definite mis-
sion"
"The articles which must be sup
piled to an army in time of need are
multitudinous in number. 1t has been
| estimated that 100000 articles of diff
ferent kinds are necessary for supply
purposes. The quantities in which
these articles must be supplied will
run individually into the millions. If
the United States ever should get into
war like the last one, and a war
which would last longer than that one
did, the supplies needed probably will
| exceed the production capacity of the
country. So it is that in its studies of
the future and its possibilities, remote
possibilities If you will, the depart
| ment must take into consideration the
necessity for the building of new fac
tories. or of the enlargement of those
already existing.
The National Defense act which has
been sanctioned by congress, and the
plan for industrial mobilization now
being drawn in accordance with it, it
/ is said, will provide place for every
male citizen of the United States with
in the proper age limits, and will in
sure that only reasonable profits will
be made by industry.