The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1941-04-04
AMERICA AT THE EDGE
OF WAR
BY ]. e. Jones

Washington, d. c., March 31--The
United States Government has been
making history in recent weeks and
the authority and rights of Presi-
dent Roosevelt have been settled by
the acts of Congress. The President
has declared that the United states
will oppose the war aims OF Ger
many, Japan and Italy, and that
"we", the American people are writ
ing new history today, and will
carry on as the arsenal for democ-
racy, and when (not if)" the Die
tators are defeated, then our coun-
try must continue to play Its great
part in the period of world recon-
struction". Today, the United States
Is on the edge of war, and the ap-
preparation of 81 billion is only the
beginning of the cost of this ire
mendous undertaking.
1t seems proper that this Letter
should report to the leading local
newspapers in all parts of the ma
ton a few facts regarding the pro-
gress of national defense.
The United States turned over to
the British, in addition to the so
average destroyers, up to January,
1871, 1876 merchant ships, 100000
rifles, $4,000 machine guns, $4,000
anti-craft machine guns, 230 tanks,
II million pounds of T. N. T., and
tremendous quantities of other ma
terials. Except for the destroyers,
the British paid for everything in
dollars.
In our swift beginnings the Unit
ed States has awarded $11,5OO,OOO,-
900 of contracts for war materials
in the past 9 months, and the first
80 per cent were placed with So
groups of companies, because they
were the only firms that could make
quick deliveries in exceptional guam
titles. Automobile manufacturers,
airplane companies, steel mills, ship
builders, munition manufacturers,
TOOL companies, lumber mills, mine
owners, oil companies, rubber pro-
ducers, and builders and contractors
in a thousand fields, turned their
operations from business as usual"
and cut-loose for national defense.
The Labor Division of the Nation
IL Defense Advisory Commission
says that million men and women
went back to work in 1910, and that
nearly 4 million more of the c0un-
try's unemployed will be absorbed in
defense endeavors.
There is always lot of loose talk
during times of emergency like the
present to the effect that interna-
-ional bankers and the big manu-
lecturers are being favored by the
Government. An equally ficticious
alarm concerns the claim that the
United States is parting with the
machines of war and giving away
its ships, planes, and bombers to
Great Britain. 1t is very important
for the people to know that the
Army, Navy, Air Corps, and civilian
officials who are directing policies
and creating speed and production,
are oslidly back of President Roose-
velt's statement that the machines
and implements Of war ''are not for
storage but for active usage.
The spread of business in national
defense is indicated by a Govern
ment report that shows how 500
firms in the Ohio river region were
able to turn manufacturing plants
that were partly idle in Is cities
into full production. In another in
stance three counties in the Shen-
andoah Valley Of Virginia pooled
their facilities of their manufacture
ing plants, which were 80 per cent
idle, and landed enough sub-con-
tracts to give every worker in the
region a job.
Seven Government agencies are
acting as q clearing house for
schools, and other methods sin the
fields of defense, labor supply and
training. In addition to a nation
wide Government employment SER
vice and vocational instruction in
schools, there is "on-the-job" train
ing to maintain steady f1ow of
competent labor.
The War and Navy Departments
have called for $50 new plants, or
plant expansions, In all parts Of the
United States. Economic aid to
ghost towns" for small businesses
are provided in the Government
plan OF farming OUT defense or
ders among thousands of smaller
shops.
Ship construction 10 at postwar
peak with 5s4 merchant vessels now
under construction or contract, in
cluding six vessels ordered by the
British. rs
The Federal Government declared
in the beginning that the underlying
labor policy must be strong enough
a.