FEEDING THE FIRING LINE

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2852, 17 August 1916, Page 5

FEEDING THE FIRING LINE

ENORMOUS OUTPUT OF MUNITIONS

STATEMENT BY THE BRITISH CHIEF MUNITIONER

(Iteuter's TelesranO (Rec. August 16, 6.15 p.m.).

London, August 15. In the House of Commons, Lord Montagu of Beaulicu, Minister of Munitions, stated that Britain was now manufacturing cacli mouth twice as many heavy guus as she possessed at tho outbreak of the war. The output of machine-guns liad increased by sixteen times. The weekly output of high explosives was sixty times, and that of field howitzers eighteen times, greater than at tho beginning of 1915. Tho output of shells had increased so. much that comparison with that of 1914 would be useless. Besides a largo amount of munitions and guns, we woro supplying our Allies with m'otals for munitions to the value of six millions sterling a month. _ Britain was sending to France one-third of her production of steel for shells.

} Lord Montagu urged the importance of a further dilution of labour. Fortyfivo thousand soldiers had been released for munition work. While 635,000 persons wcro employed in making munitions a year ago, thero wero now 2,250,000, of whom 400,000 wero women. Tho British equipment of eigli-teen-pmindcrs was practically compl.eto, and wo should shortly satisfy our own requirements in inaciliine-guns. Britain would then bo ahlo to devoto her attention .entirely to tho requirements of the Allies. Tho weekly output of munitions covered tho expenditure of them, so that if tho workmen and employers continued to play their parts as nobly as heretofore there was no fear of tlio offensive ' breaking down owing to a shortage of ammunition. Continuing, Lord Montagu" said that tho output of shells at the beginning was so" t;egligiblo that any percentage of increases gave fantastic results. For example, tho cigliteenpounder heavy shells increased 2650 times, and for _tlio last week of June, 1916, was 16a- times tho averago weekly output during 1911-15, with corresponding increases in other classes of artillery and munitions. "Altogether wo aro now manufacturing tho weekly equivalent of our entire pre-war stock of ammunition. AVo could., now turn out in tlireo or four weeks nia-ohine-guns equivalent to tho total stock existing when the Ministry of' Munitions was established. Our method of purchasing, and tho limitation of tho prices of metals, havo saved us fortyone millions.He .would not be divulging a secret, ho added, by saying that our artillery had 1 acquitted itself entirely satisfactorily in the recent fighting. The difficulties of replacing the damaged and worn-out guns had been satisfactorily surmounted. Tho conditions' of modern warfare' emphasises the value of long-range, guns, and an ever-in-creasing range was demanded.' Our unprcparedness for tho war lad tho advantage of giving us entirely modern weapons. Reports from the front showed that the steady improvement in tho quality of tho ammunition had been a distinct measure of our successes, but against an enemy like Genii any our progress must he continuous. Independence of Foreign Shops. The Ministry, ho added, had been aiming at independence of foreign supply. When tho Ministry was established, tho American factories supplied 70 per cent, of tlio light shells. AVo were now independent. AVe found the American heavy shells invaluable during the development of Britisli factories, but it was expected that the Home and Canadian outputs would ultimately make us independent. _ The cost of tho factories was decreasing; 'tho cost in some cases had been completely covered in from six to twelve months by the diffcrenco in tho cost between Home and foreign munitions. His Lordship concluded -with, a tribute to the women. "AVhere," ho asked, "is now tho man who will deny to women the civil rights whicE they havo earned?"' Tho Ministry's programme would'not bo completed until tho number of guns had been increased many times, and ammunition sufficient to maintain an indefinite offensive along tho whole front had been accumulated. PREMATURE BURSTS. (Rec. August 16, 10.50 p.m.) London, August 16. Mr. Lloyd Georgo (Minister of War), commenting on the improvement in tho quality of munitions, revealed tho fact that the premature bursting of shells was so had at tho Battle of Loos that the firing of the high explosivo shell had to be abandoned. Now the number of premature hursts was negligible.