Will Never Let Up
"The battle of the Marne settled the controversy in favor of France and her allies," he continued. "Earl Kitchener predicted a three-year war, and I believe he did not underestimate it.
"The Allies will never let up until they have won a complete and final victory.
"I am more convinced of this now than I have been on the ground and learned first hand not only of their complete equipment of men and munitions, but also of their wonderful financial strength. We in America know altogether too little of the astonishing richness of both England and France, and the sooner we wake up to our opportunities and encourage in every way the increasing of our trade with them the better off we will be."
I reached home early Monday morning glad to be again in my native town. Before landing I had written an account of the French steel industry in war-time and had obtained permission from Mr. Nichols, as Chairman, to make an advance publication of this document in the Iron Age and the Iron Trade Review. I had in mind that something of this kind would be expected by my fellow steel manufacturers, and if we waited until the full report of the Commission was made, the information would be stale. This article appeared in many of the trade journals and is republished in the chapter following.
[XIX.]
THE FRENCH STEEL INDUSTRY IN WAR TIME
HE individual report on the condition of the iron and steel industries in France, referred to in the proceeding chapter, together with the comments of The Iron Age thereon, were as follows: Joseph G. Butler, Jr., Youngstown, Ohio, who represented the steel trade of the country on the American Industrial Commission to France, arrived in New York on the return journey of the commission on Oct. 29. While the general report of the commission, which went out under the auspices of the American Manufacturers' Export Association, will not be published until late in the year, The Iron Age is able to give its readers below Mr. Butler's report of his investigations into the war status of the iron and steel industry of France.