lack even the necessaries of life. We have got to cut off our production of everything the government does not need and cut down our consumption of everything else, in order to furnish the things the government must have to carry on and win the war.

"Now, the very first requirement is ships; ships to get our armies over to France; ships to keep them supplied with food and ammunition. We've got the soldiers, but there aren't enough ships to carry them over. The neck is too small for the bottle. Why? Because private enterprises engaged in comparatively unimportant work are taking the men away from the shipyards by offering higher wages than the latter can afford. With the German submarines sinking shipping at the rate of six million tons a year Congress has authorized the construction of five million tons. Added to the tonnage in the yards, which we have already requisitioned, this makes a total of 10,623,000 of deadweight tonnage. To get these ships afloat we need five hundred thousand mechanics. We have less than two hundred thousand; and, at that, the various yards are competing with one another for their services. Every ship once in the water will need men and officers-one hundred thousand for every thousand ships.

"It is the most gigantic task-the most vital task -in the history of the war. To fail in its accomplishment means defeat. Yet the yards are, for the most

part, working only one shift of men a day when they ought to be running twenty-four hours out of the twenty-four, Sundays and holidays included. This in spite of the fact that riveters are getting as high as one hundred and seventy-two dollars per week! Not far from Philadelphia there's a big shipyard that ought to be running night and day. It can only get sixty per cent of the labor it needs. Its total force is a little over five thousand men. Near it is a phonograph-factory employing eight thousand men. The shipyards could utilize thousands of those phonograph workers but can't get them. Yet the newspapers hesitate about going after the talking-machine fellows because they are such big advertisers.

"It's the same situation everywhere," he continued. "People are simply asleep-that's all! The government needs five thousand stenographers to-day in Washington and seven thousand firemen. When I left there on Friday it had no prospect of getting them. It needs five hundred chauffeurs, on the jump, to drive supply-trucks—and it has to wait; and yet there are ninety-two thousand chauffeurs in the metropolitan district of New York alone!

"Night and day-day and night," went on Morris heatedly, "the guns are roaring over on the western front, hurling an unceasing torrent of shells into the German lines. Nine million dollars' worth of shells cross the trenches every day. The war has become a

contest of workshops. But the shops lack workers, while rich people roll round in their motors—some of them with two men on the box!”

"Really, it's almost criminal!" I cried.

"When you think that in the early days of the war whole brigades were wiped out of existence for lack of artillery support, due to a failure of ammunition, you realize that it is criminal! The government could get forty-five regiments of mechanics out of New York's chauffeur class alone. If we gave up our cars the factories which would otherwise be making the new models for next year could either release their men for the shipyards or could be converted themselves into munition works. The materials, steel, iron, rubber, nickel, copper, leather, woollen, etc., would be available for the needs of the army. The petrol would be used behind the lines at the front."

"In England," said Lord, "the National War Savings Committee had placed at its disposal an immense amount of poster space, and it plastered it with signs, among others: 'Don't ride a motor-car for pleasure.' Naturally, timid motorists were a bit nervous lest they might be attacked on the highroads by the indignant proletariat. It wasn't a bad idea."

Morris laughed grimly.

"You wait! It won't be a question of posters. If we can't get men to build the ships that are going to win this war, we'll take the men off the front seats

of the pleasure-cars-conscript 'em. We'll have to or our boys will just be gun fodder! As Mr. Vanderlip

says:

"The only way to increase the number of men and shells and supplies available at the front to win the war is to reduce the competition of private individuals for the goods and services that the belligerent governments require for war needs. This can be done only by increasing production of the things which are necessary and reducing the consumption of everything else." "

"That is well put," I exclaimed. "It makes clear Lloyd George's statement: 'Extravagance costs blood -the blood of heroes.'

But Morris did not heed the interruption.

"I know of a very large carpet-factory near here which closed down voluntarily and changed over its spindles at a comparatively trifling cost-so that it now manufactures army duck for tents, wagon-covers, and so on. If the owners hadn't done so of their own accord they ought to have been compelled to do so by the action of the public in refusing to buy carpets.

"But no matter how much the public is willing to do its part we've still got to reckon with the laborer. Wages have been doubled in many businesses, but reports come in from nearly all the great industries, mines, and shipyards telling of men who refuse to work more than half-time-content, under the im

proved conditions, to make as much in five hours as they formerly did in ten. Meantime the ship-building programme lags, coal production is insufficient, and industry is generally undermanned in spite of the increase in wages. Sooner or later labor conscription in some form is sure to result; but there will be a fierce political struggle before it is secured."

"That would be pretty drastic!" hazarded Lord. Morris turned on him sharply.

"Suppose you needed a chauffeur for your motor, you wouldn't try to induce a fellow driving an ambulance in France to take your job, would you? Or if you needed a mechanic in your business you wouldn't try and tease a chap out of a factory where he was turning shells for the Allies! Well, it's the same thing if you keep the chauffeur or keep the mechanic."

"Right!" agreed Lord.

"There's an awful lot of rot talked about 'business as usual'! There won't be any business if we lose this war! We've got to have ships-ships-SHIPS! To quote Vanderlip again: "The person who buys an unnecessary thing, however small its cost and however well able he is to pay for it, is not helping the government by going on with "business as usual," but is upon the contrary competing with the government for goods and services. The article he purchases may be of a character altogether different from the things the government requires, but labor must be used in