MUNI i'lUNo ..

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 329, 6 November 1915, Page 5

MUNI i'lUNo ..

STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER. AUCKLAND, Nor. 4. A statement about the possibility of manufacturing munitions in New Zealand and probable early developments m regard thereto, was made by the Hon. A M. Myers to-day. Immediately er Mr Myers took charge of this department m August last he convened a conference of a large number of leading engineers in the Dominion, which too k place in Wellington on September As a result of tjhis a committee as set up to go thoroughly into the question with a view of enabling the Minister to decide whether it was practicable and feasible to proceed with the manufacture of munitions. A few in a Zf . ate f thls co mmittee submitted an ran report, whic|h indicated, inter dVd? that bodies-of cou] d be manufactured in New Zealand if steel could be procured Inquiries had, therefore, been made as to the possibility of importing steel from A US tho M . nister J able to say that the result of his toQmr.es lhad been entirely satisfactory U order to ascertain, the number of machines available in New Zealand factor"™'' 1 b 6 suilaW e for this manu- , the various engineering firms throughout the Dominion were To Preached, and they had responded in a most generous and patriotic manner. Severa, stated that they would place I eir entire plants at the disposal of factor 0 ! 6 ™ 1116111 111 ‘” e W ° rk 01 m™uwith a: ni "'" t,o " s ' rere Proceeded vv -th The work of collecting details of machinery available bad occupied a great deal of time, hut the census was nov just about complete. The Minister has been kept fully ad1 1S6 , d as to the Progress that is being made in Australia i n the manufacture of mumtoins, and a great deal of valuable information has been received. Mr Mjyers is now awaiting some final particulars from the Commonwealth Minister for Deefnce as to an alteration * the specification of shells, etc., recant- } suggested by the Home authentic* These may arrive probably in a few ajs, when the committee set up by the conference will be called tocher again to consider the whole ma.rVr Mr Myers said, therefore, he booed that within the next week or two he would be able to submit to Cabinet a review of the position whim would justify Cabinet in arriving at a final decision.

‘lt is satisfactory to knov," conciuded Mr Myers, “that an migmeering firm m Christchurch has produced a sample bayonet which is now being tested, with a view to ascertaining its reliability and suitability. In the past all our bayonets have been imported, by the appearance of the sample submitted there is every reason t° hope that it will pass the necessary test.”'' *

An American who visited ties German Sues in Belgium last autumn was chiefly impressed with the number of desertions. At the smm time « Ev<o . Witness' told ns. what we should have expected to hear, that desertions occurred much more amongst the older men than the younger. As the German armies are steadily getting older, owing to the destruction of the young first line of troops, we should also expect to find this tendency to desert on the increase. And so it is happening. All along the Dutch frontier especially there is a steady stream of desertions, and the tendency has’ been given a. fresh filip by rumours of a coming general attack on the Allies'* lines. And what is true of the Germans is also true of their allies. The Austrians have had to redouble their guards along the Swiss frontier to prevent this form of leakage. Those facts are of good augury for the future of the war. The enemy’s morale is on the decline.