Evening star., 1923-06-24

ceive only 8 cents an hour, and 20
cents a day is above the average wage
of the $4,000 and odd men and women
employed.
In one great shop / saw the ma
chimes which made the'"Big Berthas"
now grinding out tubes to be used in
the plants that take nitrates from the
air Some of the tubes have an in
side diameter so big that 400
pound hog could crawl through one
without scraping his bristles. They
are bored out of a long steel cylinder
the size of q hogshead by an augur
as big around as a -four barrel. The
steel is of great strength and tough
ness, but the augur cuts off huge
shavings. which curl round and round
as though they were pine. The fric-
tion is so great that a stream of cold
water must play on the metal to
keep the borer cool as it cuts.
AS watch the work the guide tells
me that the allied control commits
sion is considering the destruction of
these lathes because they were for
merly used in the making of guns.
and I suppose. also, because they
might be used for the making of guns
in the future. The reader must judge
whether the point is we'll taken.
They are certainly doing peace work
today.
The next shop made me think of
one of our international Harvester
plants. 1t is devoted to the making
Of agriculture machinery, :, and going
through it was almost a Sabbath
days journey. The buildings cover
many acres and the work is ; SO
standardized that hesoutput is great.
They are making threshing machines,
mowers and reapers,;, plows and har-
rows. and everything used on the
farm, = The various.-parts- of the ma
chimes are painted by. dipping them
into watts containing the color, desired
after. which, they are touched up ac-
cording to order. In! one greats shop
they are. turning out only. knives fol-
reapers and movers. The knives are
piled. up in cords and hundredscoi
men are finishing them for the, oom-
pleted machines, Nowhere did i see
any idIeness or, waste OF labor and
every one seemed to be doing good
honest wofk." Their machinery fsa as
good as ANY we have in America, and
/ cannot but wonder how this low
labor cost will affect the price OF
German goods in competition with
ours in the world markets. Twenty
five cents a day will surely beat from
SO to $6 day If the products are tht
same.
IUST now I am told that much OF
j the machinery is intended fol
Russia, where the Krupps are said te
| have been given. a large tract Of
land in the southwestern part of that
country. According to. current re-
ports the tract Is about 100000 acres
4 and they will have the. right to work
1t for thirty-six years, after which
it ii to go back ito. the government
During this time the Germans are u
have entire control, but only half the
workers may be foreigners. All OF
the machinery is to be. imported fret
of duty and the soviet government
/ has the refusal of certain amoun
| OF the agricultural products on the
basis of Rotterdam prices. II, Is In
tended TO use steam plows. steam har
rows. steam harvesters and steam
| threshing machines for working eth,
crops. and at the same time TO estab.
lish, experimental stations which will
| teach the peasants modern farming
and create a demand for the machin
cry made here in the Ruhr. The sol
Il g = T.
and. with German overseers and Z