| Show Preparedness of oj U. U US U.S. S. S Industry y I Regarded as Key Ivey to Security Strategic Product Shortage Draws Attention on of or Military Men By Dy JOSEPH W. W V. V LaBINE The peace pence of Munich and the undeclared war in China reflect a general ferment of unrest in Europe and Asia which may momentarily flare up into a greater World war This is the situation which has stimulated American efforts to assure both territorial and economic security While the balance of power in Europe as well as in Asia appears to make the contingency contingency contingency contin contin- gency of territorial aggression aggression sion against the United States remote both bath army and navy have advocated a program of reasonable expansion in their departments and the extent of this expansion will be a major subject of debate at this session of congress Less spectacular but even more basic is the need for adjusting the capacity of American industry to towar towar towar war materials production and accumulation accumulation ac ac- accumulation ac- ac of raw material supplies which might be cut off oil from us Inthe in inthe inthe the event of a European or Asiatic conflagration Industry has to a limited lim lim- lied extent prepared itself but has a along along along long way to go yet yeL There are according to the assistant assistant as as- secretary of war approxImately approximately approximately 55 items needed in war time which are so 0 difficult of production so different from ordinary peacetime peace peace- time needs that industry will not be able to go into production of them without some education And the last congress provided funds for the purpose of giving educational educational educational ed orders for the manufacture manufacture ture of only alx aix of these items The average voter does not realIze realize realize real real- ize that mobilization applies not only to men and battleships but to plants and machines skilled labor power transportation raw materials materi materi- als ala and financing Preparation fa for Peace It is significant that for the first time In the history of the United States the war department Is is through preparation of an educational educational Donal orders program anticipating war well in advance of the unpleasant ant fact This does not mean the United States is preparing to go to towar towar towar war on the contrary it is preparing preparing ing na to keep out of war if It possible So doing doln it is merely following cautiously cautiously cau cau- in the footsteps of those dictator dictator dictator dic dic- nations which for a decade have bent nearly all economic effort effort ef ct- fort fott to the furtherance of one ultimate ultimate ultimate ulti ulti- mate aim the aIm the efficient functioning of an army in the field Plants Planta and machines cannot be g i A Aa a ST STARCH FOR FOil STEEL STEEL Manganese Manganese for American steel Heel comet comes principally from Irons far mcay alcay placer but Cuban deposits similar tt to those hose found in the United States hare been devel derel oled This picture shots s the vital J lal material bein being g loaded at a Santiago dock immediately turned to production of ot war materials in the event of an emergency America has excellent machines and excellent mechanics to run them but an army tank cannot cannot can can- cannot not be ordered one day and secured the next Special skills are required for munitions manufacture The Theman Theman Theman man who does the work of checking the breach end of ot a mm 75 howitzer with a concentricity thread ring gage which measures down to one ODe thousandths ten of at an inch for tor example ex ex- example ample needs five years of special straining training Other special Jobs require training periods of between one ODe and tour four our years America has no extensive munitions munitions muni muni- Lions Industry at the present time Today the army manufactures most of its munitions in its hs seven even arsenals arsenals arse arse- nals which supply little tittle more than I 5 per cent of wartime needs And there is a great lack of skilled labor labor la la- la- la bor During the depression few apprentices apprentices ap prentices were trained manufacturers turen today faced with the prospect prospect pros pros- of munitions orders say they Uley are unable even en to secure men to manufacture tire tite necessary tools An essential part of cf the tremendous tremendous tremendous dous naval building program must be a program of in service trainIng training train train- training ing to provide skilled shipbuilders The number of civil employees of b j t x y t NO ENEMIES YET A three inch anti aircraft gun it Is pointed skyward in Philadelphia's Philadelphia's Philadel phia's phia Reyburn Plaza facing the she city hall ball a as at part o of f the aircraft t vs v. t. t anti aircraft dem item demonstration featuring a National Guard association convention the navy department it is estimated ed must be increased from the present level of to by 1942 in order to keep pace with building There is today a definite shortage In technical specialized ship building trades of naval archItects architects archi archI- marine engineers mold lofts- lofts men coppersmiths and so on From Toys Toy to Bombs Initial investigation of about factories which has been carried out by the government constitutes only the beginning of a gigantic task which will prepare America for production production production pro pro- of those war ma materials which It lacks and which it may have to produce in a hurry hurry bomb bomb sights for planes canisters for gas masks demolition bombs and fuses mm 37 guns more and heavier tanks semi-automatic semi rifles rInes light tight machine guns trench mortars gas masks there are only eight gas masks for every hundred men in the national national na na- na guard today mm howitzers howItzer howitzers how how- inch 8 howitzers motor cars motor trucks truck and so on Locomotive factories must prepare prepare prepare pre pre- pare to produce mm shells and makers of toy trains must be trained to manufacture gas mask parts Factories all over the nation must make artillery shells instead of plumbing fixtures leather leggings instead of baby shoes shell fuses instead of radios haversacks haversacks' instead instead in in- stead of handbags bombs instead of toys submarine mines Instead o osteel ot of f steel s safes fes airplane metal stam stamp p ings instead of pots and pans cartridges cartridges car instead of ot washing machines ma mn- chines In order to educate industry for I these necessary changes congress at Ute the last session authorized a five five- year program of educational educational Donal orders Extension of this program is regarded by the war department department de de- de- de as essential The very foundation of a preparedness preparedness preparedness edness program Is the supply o oraw of i raw materials upon which the coup count country try must depend for production o of t all aU kinds of articles from gas masks mask I Ito to rifles more than ever before inthe In Inthe the history of the world the pro problem problem lem of national defense is an Industrial industrial indus trial problem and raw material t is s the keystone of industry Arms Budget Increased Current publicity has familiarized familiarize d I Ithe the man in the street with trends in rearmament Index of the program m is seen in unofficial estimates which whit h place the national defense budget budge S for the coming fiscal year beginning g July 1 1 1939 at about or an Increase of about over ore r the preceding year The building program is at least lens t outlined The new congress ma may authorize plans of the army general genera l staff stag for tor Increasing the army personnel per sonnet lonnel by men and providing equipment for an initial war force of officers and men The United States is building six new ton battleships largest ever used by this country a new air alt aircraft aircraft craft carrier a new heavy cruiser three light cruisers 16 submarines 40 destroyers and other auxiliary craft These are to be finished prod tired But Dut the ramifications of preparedness preparedness pre pre- are infinite materials are basic requirements for war industries in- in industries in as for an any other industry It is generally assumed that the United States Is so rich In natural resources that it can supply its own industry with no great trouble trouble that that we are prepared in fact for any supply emergency This assumption is no more correct than the public belief that the army although small is well furnished with modern mod mod- em ern weapons and equipment or that industry is prepared to supply im im- the additional weapons and equipment which would be requIred required required re re- in an emergency As a matter of ot fact the war department department de de- department has listed 21 strategic war materials for which the United States today depends wholly or partly partly part part- ly Iy upon foreign imports And Inthe inthe in inthe the event of a general European war these imports might well be cut off even trade lines between the United States and our South American neighbors might be sev sev- ered What Was the Cyclops Cyclops' Fate This danger is no mere theory but well supported by fact There was during the World war the classic classic clas clas- sic ale case of the collier Cyclops which set out from Brazil one day with tons of manganese bound forthe for forthe forthe the United States That boat never reached its destination and neither It nor any of its passengers were ever heard beard from again Perhaps it encountered a German U-boat U perhaps per per- perhaps haps laps a mine no one knows know with certaInty And manganese is listed by the war department as strategic material number one 14 pounds of this material are essential for the manufacture of every ton of steel and there is no known substitute Today the United States produces domestically less than 5 per cent ot of ot Its manganese requirements More than a third of the manganese im tm- imports ports to this country come from Russia other sources are British India the Gold Coast of ot Africa and Brazil When and if U war comes the seas will wW no longer be free the Russian and Indian sources of manganese manganese manganese man man- would almost immediately be cut off from us and the Gold Coast is miles mlles away The Brazilian Brazilian Bra Dra- source was once cut off as we have seen and may be again While the United States has manganese manganese manganese man man- ore resources in 20 states they are largely undeveloped Under Under Under Un Un- der the stimulus of war from 1914 to 1918 domestic output Jumped jumpe from 2635 tons to tons bu but production fell off again in 1919 and has remained almost negligible ever since Processing methods have since been developed one of the most effective effective ef- ef ef of which has been applied to the production of ore are from the Cuban deposits of the Cuban Cuban Cuban-Ameri Amerl can Manganese company The army sees the Cuban ores as an Important important tant reserve since shipments from from that country would not be subject to interruption in hi an emergency Miller Case Plan Up I Doth Both army and navy are strongly behind a plan to build up a stockpile stock stockpile I pile of a million tons of processed manganese ore and opinion is growing grow grow- ing tag for the removal of manganese from the list of commodities on which tariffs were reduced by reciprocal reciprocal reciprocal re re- trade agreements with for foreign eign nations This plan Is embodied in the Miller bill introduced at thelast the thelast thelast last congress and the Miller-Case Miller concurrent resolution It is anticipated antici that the plan will be presented again to congress at the session just starting Important point in the preparedness prepared ness program so far initiated is the plan to provide reserves of strategic strategic strate strate- gic war materials and doubtless congress will reconsider as part ofa of ot ota ofa a general industrial mobilization plan legislation which was first introduced in traduced last spring seeking authorization author author- for the army and navy to acquire ac aCt acquire quire over a year four-year period worth of essential minerals and providing that domestic pro pro- producers producers producers be favored In these purchases pur pur- chases It this plan is reconsidered and adopted in its present or an amended amend amend- ed cd form an important step will have been taken in assuring for the United States continued supplies ol of materials on the list of at which manganese manganese manganese man man- is only one Others are chromIum chromium chro chro- mica quinine tungsten alu elu aluminum minum antimony coconut shells used for carbon filters in n gas masks tin wool coffee silk hides sisal nickel opium mercury iodine io to- dine optical glass manila fiber and rubber spectacular Non-spectacular objective of this s plan as as explained by Sen Elber Eloe tt D. D Thomas of Utah chairman o of f the Senate Military Affairs Committee Commit tee is to obtain a sounder type 0 of t raw materials insurance than cabe ca ceri be attained by simple wimple stock-piling stock g foreign purchases of ores ores ores-a a procedure procedure pro pro- which would not solve th the e problem in the event of a protracts protracted d emergency C a Western Nw nD r Union |
