MUNITIONS FOR THE ALLIES

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2582, 2 October 1915, Page 3

MUNITIONS FOR THE ALLIES

WHAT AMERICA IS DOING In reply to a letter of inquiry asking . for exact concerning' .what ; lis being done-by American firms' to | help, the Allies'the, following; extracts have been taken; from a letter sent- by, '. their, principals in the U.S.A. to a wellknown firm, of New Zealand- ident -, -agents: — V '•' "We note your remarks regarding, the | opinion of the people of New Zealandv' i .that the Americans are doing nothing. .' • in'the.way of maniifactairing munition, 1 ! . of war for the' Allies. This is so pre- -. posterous that' it almost took, our ;; breath away. AYe can not understand. how any ono in their sane mind could have 1 such an opinion. The United States from tlio breaking out of tho war to tho first of July, sold the Allies ■ > over £200.000,000 worth, of , munitions;' of war supplies incidental thereto, and at the/present' ininuto tbe balanco is ; over £250,000,000, and in the next three months will increase to £350,000,,000. ;. In proof of . this . assertion,; wo. liavo only to ' mention- • the, exchange fate.\ As any one wiU Jinow when tmo balance- of trade is against the .United States, or in other words, the ,United States is.'purchasing more goods from <|broad than it is, exporting,- the rate ' •of exchange is high, .never less than, j 4.80 dollar sand sometimesup to 4.90 >. I dollars; when tho position is reversed, and . all tho world is practically buying •.- goods from the United States, and the : United'. States is • not ; buying any goods ffom'abroad 'theii-the rate .is low, , 1 ' | and the'balance, of; trade is termed with - ' . this country. The'rate of exchange to- J day is 4.60.d011ars to the £, or in. - other, words,;the': English; £,'. instead .of beiiig!?i(brth ;4.85' dollars, as in normal f ; .times,:-is: worth;only 4.60}' dollars. If •wo wore not exporting munitions of war ' the exchange rate would, bo as. lisuah "To give you, a moro conclusive proof ' we will take our own httlo town. ■ Wo have oho' factory that is manufacturing i, 1 150,000,000 calks for the; Kussian army,. ;' • necessitatingthe doubling ,'of the plant.We'have another-mill that has.just com-, ' pletal 109,000 sweaters : for the French army, and the largo mill of Johnson - and Jolmson: to its utmost capacity manufacturing, surgical supplies, ;and at. the present.time.'is building a new mill ,500ft/long; by 120 ft. • vyide and several'. stories high, which i' new-, mill will be devoted; to making gun- r : cotton'. .Within;a.radius of-,five:.mile3',-, of .this town there are 10,000 employees doing'nothing else but 1 making powder for r . . the Allies, and; we can cite an instance ; of ,a:'.small villaßO in Virginia that.-had'.- ■ a population ,'of 1100, and-to-day. has a . s population of the solo industry being the manufacturo\of i>owder, all of lvhich'is being exported to tbo, Allies. t -•: r'' "According to tho Customs,. reports the ; - exports do" not isliow -, that this : country; is selling'-anything^to, the-Ger- ' •mans or -Austriaus. or the Turks, ,' v ; -; neither aro we procuring an,ytlung from them. . Last .year we -'bought; l from'! V Austria the sum of 28,000,000 - dollars ;;; , :)vorth. of. goods, . while .:this' year: tho\!v,; business isv less. thau 280,000 . : dollars,V . i and theso goods" were in. transit "at the ' '■ outbreak of- the- war; . The firmVof, J. :,:; ' 1 ; Piei'pont Morgan, who' are .■tho;- , fisc_al. . ageiits ,of; boths''England and,_Fra'nce\itt. this cuuntry; are credited with having placed, orders -iii the last . two. months'! for £100,000,000. .• Almost every, day .; in the week at least ten steamers leavo United. States "ports for England and France loaded - .with materials..' Only-.-. -y iast week..a .steamer left' here, with 52 aeroplanes, 97; large inotor-trueksj aiKf' - over 12,000 cases, of shells all consigned to .the British Government at This is ; merely a sample : ; shipment:' ''You- might also be interested,'per- ... haps, in tho fact that the United States had. led the world'-, in relief; work, Mid the Be'giau Relief Commissiofl _ has 47; . steamers chartered, doing, nothing but V■ ply between Belgian ports ;■ and tlie , United States for the relief of-t'he.desti-tute. .'■'■■ V u Wo cannot- understand the attitude of the Now Zealand' people' and'j their newspapers. Wo can only beliovo that they do riot receive direct news, or else, they..do,not'care to treat, .Americans . ■fairly. If we were not furnishing mil- • nitions- of war, why should Germany . and Austria enter their protests? Tlie , President of the United States only this, :v----weelc replied to tho protests of Austria," regarding the shipment of munitions of . war to the Allies, and ■ stated that. it wo'uld bo unneutral and -unfriendly' an act to prohibit the same, and he-posi-tively, refuses to do so; .- '; . ' "If the New Zea.land people know the truth they would be more: friondlj; • to the Americans, ,and the writer hap- i pens: to number, among-his very best' | friends several New Zealanders who have been to this'country sinco tho outbreak of'war, and who know the situ- , ation, and understand the sentiments of tlie majority of tho United States people, and what wo .-are' actually ' doing,, : and we can assure you that their opin- , ion is anything but what wo are led to beliovo from your-letter. : We' trust ' 4 that this may convincy somo of our friends of our true position in the mat, • • : ter."