MUNITIONS AND SUPPLIES.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 319, 22 October 1915, Page 3

MUNITIONS AND SUPPLIES.

WORK OF THE DEPARTMENT,

MEETING THE INCREASED DE-

MA|ND.

Th© advancing of the dates of departure of the Reinforcements and the increasing of the strength of the drafts have added greatly to the labours and responsibilities of the Munitions and Supplies Department ,which is under the dharge of the Hon. A. M. Myers. The duty of seeing that the necessary articles of clothing and equipment are ready a sthey are required falls upon this department, and since the close of the session Mr Mjyers has been a very busy Minister. The Defence Department simply indicates its requirements It is for the Munitions and Supplies Department to see that the requirements are met.

Some 6000 men are going into camp thi s month ,and further drafts totalling 3500 will be called up next month. Each soldier has to be equipped with uniform, overcoat, camp clothing, bedding, and all the extras that go to the making of a complete field equipment. The demand has taxed the resources of the manufacturers and contractors, and has rendered necessary the working of a great deal of overtime in many establishments. But employers and employees alike have assisted to the best of their ability, and the Department has kept generally abreast of requirements.

Mentioning this matter yesterday Mr Myer s said that he was sensible of the assistance that had been given him by manufacturers, warehousemen, and trading establishments, as well as by the workers, and he realised that wtihout the loyal co-operation of many persons the difficulties of his work would have been very greatly Increased. He hoped that, given the same assistance in the future, there would be no serious difficulty ; n meeting the demands of the military an thorities.

The Munitions Department has in hand other matters than the supply of stores aud equipment for the men in camp, but hte time is not regarded as opportune for a full statement of what i s being done. A small munitions factory is being developed at the Petcne railway workshops, and additional information is being collected regarding the possibility of producing munitions of a useful scale within the Dominion. The raw material and the labour are available. The question Is resolving Itself into whether or not plant can be improvised or bought, and no definite decision ha s yet hem reached on that point.