AMERICA AT WAR

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 121, 15 February 1919, Page 10

AMERICA AT WAR

A NEW ZEALANDER'S IMPRESSIONS THE LIBERTY LOANS During his visit to the United States Mr. .1. W. Alarchbanks, the Wellington Harbour Board's engineer, saw a good deal of America's war effort.. He was in New York when the armistice was signed, and he saw the main streets inches deep in the l torn paper that fluttered like snow from the windows of the tall business buildings. The Americans entered the war late, and the end came before they had brought their full strength to bc-ar against the Germans. Their casualties iji Franco are stated to havd been fewer than those of -Australia. But their enthusiasm "for the defeat of the Germans was unbounded.

The vast Liberty Loans that were a) feature of America's war. effort were supported by millions of Americans in every circle of society. In fact the conditions under which the loans were raised made it almost impossible for any man capable of subscribing to stand aside. Quotas were allotted to cities and districts, and tlu citizens formed committees charged villi tho- duty of seeing that everybody subscribed and that tho quotas were exceeded. It ivas the custom, Mr. Marchbanks learned, for the committees to fix the minimum contribution of individual business men. The membere of the committeo had local ■ knowledge, and tliey would inform a man how much he was expected to subscribe. If the man refused he would bo invited by Ins bank to transfer, his business elsewhere, and he would find that the doors of all the other banks were closed against lum. J[i\ Marchbanks saw some of the concrete ships under construction at San Francisco. Two concrete ships of iM lons each wore being built there to tlio order of the United States Government. Mr. Bruce Lloyd, an old New Zealander, wag in charge of the work. The ships were to bo used as oil carriers, and were divided by longitudinal and cross bulkheads in many compartments, witii the oVject of making them practically unsinkable. The success of these ships remains to bo proved. Mr. Marchbanks noticed that the protection for the steel outside was very small. The ships apparently had been designed by the ni • thoritics in. Washington in competition with wooden ships, and the amount of concrete had been reduced to a minimum. At tho t'imo of his visit no concrete h<ul been poured, but the work of placing tho reinforcement was well advanced. Hard burned brick, clay }™s W «s d in tho aggregate instead of btone, order to economise weight. Wa»es "havo been ruling high in tne United- States during the last months. Mi'- Marchbanks was told that skilled mechanics engaged work had mado as much as <£20 a week. Enormous numbers of men were emploj ill connection with shipbu.ld.ng, a d very high wages were being paid them. These men worked a .large overtime during the war. After the sign ing of the armistice tho Government stopped overtime on the war jjlanis, al in two cases tho men struck in suppoit of a claim for continued overtime. They were soon back at work. I lie high wage were accompanied by high prices, roo stuffs were very dear indeed, much dealer than in New Zealand, and the cost of living all round was exceedingly lu„h.