Evening star., 1924-09-12
DEFENSE DAY FINDS
INDUSTRIES READY
Almost Instant Conversion
Possible in Case of Any
War Emergency.
BY j. e. ROYLE.
special Dispatch to The Star

bh y. 4. HOA LIE.
Special Dispatch to The Star
NEW YORK, September 12-The
industrial plants of the Nation are
fully prepared for national defense,
even If the mills and factories did
not parade today. Plants and equip
ment which, during the great war.
were devoted to the manufacture of
supplies for the Government have
turned their efforts to the making of
commercial products. but reports
from the great industrial sections
snow conclusively that both men and
machinery could be turned back to
production of war materials at the
orlefest notice of national need
Pittsburgh industries, for example.
are ready for actual war service on
a moments notice. The Secretary of
war through engineers in that sec
ton. has completed a survey of Pitts
burgh plants, and in case of war, man
power. furnaces, hammers, levers and
llfts would unite to thunder ready"
The toot of steam barge whistles. re-
echoed and relayed, would mobolize
craft on three rivers. along which
"harVes. cranes and landings would
be at Government service.
Plants Kept In R<adine.s.
"A telephone message from the Office
OF MAJ. Thomas B. Larkin, assistant
chief or the United States Engineer
corps. would start the mill wheels
turning on war products. The Pitts
burgh industrial district is the first
one to be mobilized in time of peace.
Contracts for materials are already
made on flexible scale Of production
providing for immediate delivery.
which will take into account fuctua-
tions or wages and costs Consider
able manufactured material of the
sort needed Is in storage and could
be turned over at once.
Contracts already entered into cover
production of great quantities of en-
Sineering supplies, steam rolling
STOCK. engines. cars. bridge materials,
rails for standard and narrow gauge
lines. ship materials, armor plate for
front line trenches, Il steel wire in
enormous quantities. barbed and
ready to string, with screw pickle
TO hold 1T In place, steel pontoons and
structural steel Of every grade Great
electric searchlights could be made
and shipped on short notice. Genera
tors, motors. electric trench pumps
telephone and telegraph supplies and
other electrical equipment could be
made available within few days.
Arms Plants In Readiness.
Production of explosives, steel forg-
ings. bombs. grenades and other am
fnunit1on could be resumed within a
rev hours with machinery now de-
voted to peace-time uses. Shops now
making fabricated steel could be used
to produce limbers and caissons
Shrapnel shells would be turned out
by machinery now making auto
wheels. Shops now making jigcs and
machine tools would be transferred
10 manufacture of shells. FORCES
parts for heavy power oil
engines would make big guns and
machines turning out automobile pis.
tons would begin work on machine
gun parts. The steel rolls, lathes
and other equipment at present turn
ing out automobile sheets, tin plate
ana watch springs could be utilized
for the 14-inch armor of battleships.
Similar changes have been work
ed out in practically every other sec
tion of the country and branch of in
dustTy In many of the New Eng
land plants changes could be made
with equal facility. The Colt Fire
arms Company, for example. which IL
using the major part Of it's ma
chinery on peace-time products such
as adding machines and household
utensils, could be turned back at
almost a moments notice to arms
production with capacity three times
what 1t was in 1914. This applies
also to machine and tool works such
as Billings & Spencer. which would
return at need to shell case output
abandoning manufacture of tools.
Other Plants Vailab BILE.
In the textile and shoe plants of
the Northeast, plant capacity is
a abundant for even emergency needs
One expert on mill capacity decla res
the cotton mills could produce the
peace-time requirements of this coun-
try for year in seven months so
that additional expansion would be
possible if the labor
supply were sufficient. Present pro-
duction, however. could be increased
several times over by employing the
workers now available full time or
overtime. In spite of textile de-
preston few mills have been aban-
doned entirely, and one of the largest
plants of New Bedford making goods
specially adapted for war use, and
built at the close of the war, has
never blown it's starting whistle yet.
Could Rush shipbuilding.
In the Philadelphia district, where
like 20 per cent of the
war supplies were turned out
during the war, the plants, greatly
enlarged at that time, have not been
dismant1ed and could resume capacity
operations on shortest notice. The
Cramps, the New York Shiphuilding
Company and the Sun Company plants
are in excellent condition. although
temporary yards at Hartman and
Hog Island have been abandoned. The
Baldwin Locomotive Works would re.
1uire few changes TO meet wartime
and the Midvale Company,
now specializing in locomotive tires.
could readily change it's equipment 70
producing armorplate and projectiles.
The great textile and clothing manu-
-acturers could enlarge production at
1 moments notice.
Dupont Company Prepared.
The Dupont Company is always
<eyed up to meet a sudden demand
'or explosives from any part of the
world. Its coal-tar dye products and
artificial silk factories lend them
selves with the utmost ease to trans
.er to the manufacture of INT, gun
'otton and other destructive agents.
Practically every manufacturer Of
The New York district has war.
time program laid out, knows what
he Will be required to do in event of
I sudden call and is prepared to ac-
,omplish 1t without delay In addi-
ton the port and railroad facilities
ere in better situation to handle
tonnage than ever in his
tory.
Motors Easy to Provide.
Detroit could transfer it's Industries
from a peace to war basis in a
SO far as automobiles and
trucks are concerned.
The Ford COMPANY, with its River