UNITED STATES AT WAR.

Colonist, Volume LX, Issue 14611, 16 January 1918, Page 6

UNITED STATES AT WAR.

AMERICAN HONOUR AT STAKE

PREPAREDNESS PLANS

PERFECTED

AN AUSTRALIAN'S OPINIONS

Yesterday a '"'Colonist" representative had aa interesting interview with Mr Andrew Deer, of Sydney, who is visiting Nelson in connection with the Sheldon Institute of Business Science, of which he is governing director, on the subject of "America and the War." Mr Deer has a first hand knowledge of his subject, having lived in the United States for seven years, during winch time he was in charge of two large organisations there, and in consequence of his position was enabled to get in touch with the leaders in different lines of effort. In 1916 Mr Deer made a special trip to America in the interests of Australian financiers with a view to reporting on certain manufacturing propositions, and on that occasion he- visited manufacturing concerns in thirty-one of the leading cities of the States. Even at that early, date, America's plans wero laid, and factories throughout the States, even to the smallest, man in the country, were thoroughly organised, so that the moment the occasion demanded, as it did early last year, America could enter the war.

''I am convinced," said Mr Deer, "that America will be one of the determining factors in the present war issue, and the reason for my belief in this connection is that America evident-! ly only went into it when she found ' that the interests of the States particu-! larly were menaced to an extent too great to permit of her submitting, and' once having put her hand to the plough there need not be the slightest, fear on the part of England or her Allies that America will be content with anything short ox a complete peace—a " peace which will make possible the elimination of war for "many decades, if not for over. From, interviews I had with representative Americans in 1916, 'i am convinced," continued Mr Deer, "that- the preparedness plans which they had even at that early date perfected, -will make it possible for America to exercise greater power, her population considered, in a much shorter j space of time than any other of the I belligerent nations. The so-called Prus-' j sian efficiency will be entlvelj outclassed •by the American efficiency. ~ Americans i are almost past masters in the matter of efficient production, and to .anyone who has i-ead that interesting book, --Lehpse or Empire,' it will not he. necessary for me to quota ii<nires > However, it is a notorious fact that in' America the American workman pro-: . ducts from 2} to 3 times the outputor the British workman. This factor is ' ' Jargely the result of the application of i j scientinc management plus 21 to 3 ' i tunes the horse power per 1000 em-' ployees. and the very great willingness to scrap equipment in favour of some-' tarajr new. It is in this last connection ■ that I believe Americans will play a very j great- part- in the wax, for the reason j that they will not hesitate to scrap the Incompetent. Xo red tape will be aii :G"'l eci l'\: r' ir*':. c~"' *'v ~'\ t-"ie -omplete- , ness or tiie osnriescv o? the tvaf~ mn-^ j machine. l^V' said .Mr De<-v. -,vas ' -recently cxe^-Duil^d by th*> :-■-.-^■•-.-.■.■^ j cashiering the man primarily resnoajsible for the loss of a transport on its j return to America. Without a single j exception, business men are assistin^in I and in many cases actually ecntroljW 'iargs departments engaged in the war? | Icev nave realised that American hon«our is at stake, in Biore ways than one, \m the mem ginning of the war. The i --^enean rMcial is- very proud of his | ability to achieve,. arid wilt leave no] stone unturned ih c turn of which will ] ]prove Ms ease to ihe ■srcM -*5 " ■ : i """■ • |