WAR AFTER THE WAR.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 19, 22 January 1916, Page 13

WAR AFTER THE WAR.

WHEN TOOLS REPLACE RIFLES IHE STRTTGGIjE FOR TRADE. POINTS WHERE THE GERMAN SCORES. (By SYDNEY SMITH.) I know my Germany, ana don't love fcer. Three years 1 lived there; I Tforked there. Providence made an engineer of mc, jjnt the Germans called rue their ChiefConstructor in the factory I was there in—as they themselves might say. Assume we whack them in war —we must —we trill—l, who lived there and jmow my Germans, am perfectly confident we can and shall; but what about it? The struggle will then begin—or shall I say re-begin? Germany is greater as a commercial nation and better organised for production and comjnerce than ever she is or 'was for war, snd even the blindest and most of our leaders knows now something of her war organisation capabilities. Listen to this. In a German, factory—a motor-car factory —to be precise, the German Jletallurgique, in Berlin—wo had a 6 plendid works, entirely modern, filled ■jjith the latest tools money could buy or our banks' credit could get for us. Sanitary arrangements and comfort o f the employees practically perfect— floor space everywhere sufficient, cleanliness, method, and orderliness supreme, nothing lying about that was not actually in <work. Xo chaos, dirt, or rubbish anywhere. Stores well kept, everything in place; and stock recorded. Everything was manufactured, not made. How was this all brought about in a few short months? Here is the sequence. The hanks sometimes found the money and always ! the credit. T-his or these enabled the ' best machines to be installed as and ' ■when desired. The banks' representa- ' tives on the board really helped the f technical men. ' You see, technicals and commercials ire not small beer in Germany; true, ( the military is supreme—but in Ger- < many there are titles and decorations ' for technical and commercial success ' which label the holders as successes in J commerce. They glory in them, and - are honoured, and retain and build fur- ' ther on their commfiercial success. What a world of difference from our own coal t and iron successes who seek to enter i the Lords and forget their commercial origin! F ATTENTION TO DETAIL. The banks, then, "make things pos- . Bible" by acknowledging, using, and ' helping the technical and manufacturing f men, and so add tenfold to their pos- ' sible production. Do our banks intelligently help our technicals and fac- , tones'like this? c Now, the technical mcn —what of v them? Really perhaps the best way to a describe them is to say "they are "com- c jnercial men," <jr more commercial than r ours. They are certainly not superior 1 as engineers, and are instructed rather c than educated, and educated rather than cultivated, hut—and here's the rub — they rejoice to make something to sell, 0 snd they have absorbed the fact that to do this they must always be striving to become cheaper and better in their productions. Enthusiasm in this direc- B tion —and they certainly have it—means ? commercial success. Contrast our technical people. The really enthusiastic ones are splendid as engineers, but so seldom commercial— 1 too seldom. It is absorbing interest in the manu- s . facture of countless things for ninepence that have to be sold for a shilling ' that really matters—at least, this is l the German view, and this is a trouble . •we must meet and face. The annoying ' part is—Germans are astonishingly 8 pleased to stick at the driest and most ' unexciting detail until they have done * all they can do for the money. '

STORY WITH A MORAL. Now the men—the mechanics—what of them? What can they do in this coming post-war struggle? Perhaps a little story, which has the advantage of being true, will demonstrate how they are dangerous. A number of straps for holding ma?netos in place on the engines were required. They cost to produce about one shilling. A day or so after the orders had been placed I was asked to look at a strap one of the mechanics had made. This held the magneto just as securely, was operated in the same manner, had practically the same appearance, and, again comes the rub, the man could produce this in about a tenth of the time. This was not an isolated case, but an everyday occurrence due to their attitude of mind. _ Now, my brother and colleague, Brltah workman, how are you going to meet ths attitude of mind in the coming struggle except by copying it? Certainly not by restricted outputs, ■fant of interest, and clock watching. I do not say there are no clock watchers in Germany, but I do say the workmen •s a whole realise that when they produce things cheaply and quickly their employers can and do undersell other natons and get the trade, and, believe oe, these men took home good wages every week; and, what is more, did take them home. BY HOOK OR BY CROOK. There were no poor people in Germany as we understand "poor." They Worked wisely and well with the object of helping to make things by hook or crook for ninepence to cell at a shilling, and when the production price by constant and united striving, could be honestly brought down to sixpence, a vein of satisfaction ran through the.whole edifice from workman upwards to the Erector. These are a few of the things to be &ced and feared after the war, when the teal war will begin and the interesting Joint determined whether we are to 'etain the premier position or play second fiddle to an obviously inferior but Ter y industrious and wisely organised Ice. I sa3' obviously inferior, and I fcelieve anyone who has really lived his life among them will agree that man 'or man they are grossly inferior in engineering and, indeed, everything except feriiaps music and beer-drinking, where *c must cry "content" to second place; tut even in the all-important question of beer : drinking, the beer is good, quite cheap, and practically nonHitosituuiig— even when consumed in QtnitfHiic or large) quantities. , Our has said, "Wake up, Eng•ind."' Surely, we might with advantage Ktpare for the war to come after the *ar.