Evening star., 1950-07-23

came about due to the availability
Of lead and copper ores, iron py-
rites, graphite and so on.
Corn from Manchuria and sta
pie f1bers available locally brought
alcohol and corn refining plants
and several textile mills. A good
hydroelectric power generating
system, including steam power
standby stations, was built by the
japanese in North Korea and is
capable of supplying the whole
country.
In nearly every case, the Jap
anese industrial plants in North
Korea turn out a semifinished
product subject to further proc
essing in Japan, according to the
Japanese prewar and wartime
master plan for the dependence
Of colonial areas. Thus steel plate
and section steel turned out in
North Korea must be sent else
where to be fabricated. So also
with aluminium, copper. lead and
magnesium. Two airplane plants
were built by the japanese in
Korea but with no record Of
actual output and in any event a
complete dependence for engines
and other mechanical equipment
from overseas. Machine shops
existed in the former japanese
arsena1s and certainly have been
preserved by the Soviet, but are
probably not capable of more
than ordinary maintenance work.
Lack Technicians
There is little or no ability in
North Korea to manufacture the
thousands Of pieces of equipment
and other industrial products
needed by an army. Thus while
they can produce steel and copper
and aluminium and can probably
do repair job on damaged tank.
they cannot perform the fabri-
eating process Of making a new
tank tread or q new engine. Nor
can they turn out machine guns.
fire control instruments, railroad
equipment, transformers, gener-
ators and so on and on. to replace
what is lost In battle or damaged
by our bombing. Korea, along with
the rest of Asia, lacks also the
large availability Of technicianS
needed in war. The Russians
have probably spent the last five
years in frantically training them,
but when the japanese left the
Koreans hardly knew how to turn
a wheel in the plants in their
country. Five years is not long
enough to do much Of a job Of
creating an adequate supply Of
mechanics and plant engineers.
There is finally the one Gripping
item of lack of petroleum and
petroleum refining capacity in the
whole area. This alone would prove
a ruinously heavy burden If an all
out war Of armored units is to be
fought.
The industrial potential of Man
churia is more or less an ex-
tension of that Of North Korea or
vice versa. The mineral deposits
of Manchuria lie in the southeast
ern part of that province adjacent
to North Korea. They include iron
ore, limestone, dolomite, manga
nese, lead and aluminium shale.
plus salt which is basic need
of the chemical industry. Mall
churia also contains deposits Of
coking grade coal and is close to
the large availability Of coking
coal in North China.
Manchuria Failed Japs
The industrial potential Of
Manchuria, therefore, is Of con-
siderable consequence, especially
so by reason Of the japanese de-
velopment of electric power and
railway OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
that any is left intact. Man
churian resources are easily avail
able to the war effort of North
Korea. AS an indication of its
potential, the japanese had in
vested in Manchuria by the end
of the past war a sum of some
thing over SO billion, vast
amount of money for Oriental de-
velopment.
Like that in North Korea, how
ever, japanese development Of
Manchuria was directed to the
exploitation of natural resources
rather than a balanced industrial
installation. Our war reports Of
the ability of the Japanese Army
in that area to support itself
proved completely unfounded.
The iron and steel industry in
Manchuria, for example, ap-
preached two million tons a year,
mostly at Anshan. AS late as
1947, however, this writer was told
by the japanese wartime head Of
the Manchurian Heavy Industries
Co. who was retained by the
Chinese Nationalists after the
war, that he had been producing
pig iron and some ordinary steel
continuously but hadn't been
able to do anything with it after
our blockade cut off shipping be-
tween Asia and Japan. He also
reported that with inability to
obtain parts and replacement
equipment his operable capacity
had steadily dwindled.
Exactly as in Korea, the Jap
aneSe plan for Manchuria was
that Of supplier of mineral con-
centrates, primary metals and
basic chemicals to the home in
dustry of Japan. Local Japanese
army commanders may have had
different ideas, but were not able
to carry them out. Manchuria
was no more able than Korea to
manufacture all of the items
which go to make up an industrial
p01InfrU- which ORC oanoccarx,