Evening star., 1938-07-12
Industrial Preparedness.

As the first year Of the World War
approached its end, and the British
Army found itself virtually immobilized
on the Western Front by its inability to
match the Germans in shell or gun
power, Lord Northcliffe risked his repu-
tation, his newspaper fortune and his
personal liberty by exposing the no.
torious shells scandal" Holding the
idolized Lord Kitchener, Secretary OF
War. personally responsible for "starv-
ing" Sir John French's forces in France
Of the requisite munitions to repel the
enemy. let alone advance against him,
the Napoleon Of Fleet Street staggered
the country with the facts, then in
cited Parliament to demand creation of
a Ministry of Munitions, to remedy the
fatal difficulty.
It was at Northcliffes insistence, too,
that the most dynamic member of the
war cabinet. David Lloyd George, was
placed in supreme charge of the new
department.. Within a year the little
Welshman" turned all Britain into an
arsenal. At the ensuing Battle of the
Somme, British artillery for the first
time was able to outgun and outshoot
the best in cannon and shell that
krupps could send Hindenburg and
Ludendorff. Later a grateful John Bull
elevated Lloyd George, worker of the
munitions miracle, to the prime minis
tership in succession to the brilliant but
Ineffective Asquith.
nations, like men, have short memo
ries. Lulled into the myopic belief that
versailles made the world safe for de-
mocracy." the World War victors, the
United States among them, forthwith
reverted to the valor of ignorance. Ma
tional defense was allowed to linger and
lapse. There were no thoughts of what
tomorrow might bring forth. Mussolini
emerged in 1922; imperialistic Japan
tore off the mask in 1881; 1888 brought
Hitler upon the scene.
Only then did peace-loving, demo-
cratic Britain, France and America
awaken to the vast rearmament require
hents world events forced upon them.
The War Departments present plans,
under recent congressional authority, to
embark upon f1ve-year spending pro-
gram of 100000 per annum for the
education of American industry in
the manufacture of munitions, constitute
the United States latest step in long
range, common sense preparation for the
emergency of war.
The purpose of the Smith bill, ap-
proved June l6. is to complete plans for
military preparedness by perfecting we'll
IN advance arrangements for industrial
preparedness. To that end the Depart
ment, under Assistant Secretary Louis
johnson, who is charged by statute with
that particular duty will award small
educational" contracts for a variety of
vital war sinews to firms which do not
now produce them, but could do so by
making slight changes in their peace
time plants The theory is that man
ufacturer, experienced in filling peace
time orders, could turn his plant and
staff into war production on relatively
short notice. Specific tasks to be car
ried out in the event of another war
have been assigned tentatively to some
10000 plants.
Seldom has Uncle Sam set his hand
to so intelligent and constructive de-
fensive measure. Just as Mr.. Bryan's
fabulous armies could not be stamped
out of the ground, so can plowshares not
be converted into swords by the mere
rubbing of some executive-order Alad-
din's lamp.