The Daily News. THURSDAY. JULY 1, 1915. THE MUNITIONS MINISTER'S SUCCESS.

Taranaki Daily News, 1 July 1915, Page 4

The Daily News. THURSDAY. JULY 1, 1915. THE MUNITIONS MINISTER'S SUCCESS.

Were it not for the intense gravity of the subject, the story of Mr. Lloyd George's complete success in dealing with the munitions question might well form the subject of a thrilling fairy tale/ for the erstwhile Chancellor of the Exchequer has achieved that which at one lime appeared impossible, unless it were taken in hand by the genii familiar to us in the realm of fable. Little could the one time almost obscure Welsh attorney have dreamed that in the days to come, he would be the saviour of the honor of his country and possibly of its very existence. Yet to-day ho see him (he man of the hour and the pillar of strength on which file Allied armies a.-", leaning. If ha- Cik-r. an upheaval of lmproeedcnlcd and a crisis of supreme gravity to a roil-.,, tbo men of Engiao,! 1o flic eoui:|-\ \- danger and la catastrophe thai e.uild happen io flic Umpire can be averted. '■>,„.,. an.u-,1 Io a proper sense of duly and the direc . ■■• '■' - -' • ■ .■'.• "•■! :: 'he-- ~;.! not ■ •' 1 h.. He i f

there wiji.s , 10 half-heartcdncss about their impressions,' for they were acutely conscious] that there must bo no more delay, no week-end stoppage, but that they too .'mist share in the great sacrifices that, were being made by their brethren n\ the. trenches, and enter upon their work with grim determination to give the n\en who were fighting the means for I success fully crushing the enemy at the lowest possible toll of human life imd suffering. Meanwhile Mr. Lloyd Oeo'rgo was using his brilliant powers and exceptional personality to bear on the mass of the workers and their employer.*;,, with the result that the munitions bureaux that had been opened proved such a success that they were closed on Sunday, nearly 100,000 skilled workers having enrolled, though only .1100 were asked for. Nor is that all this great genius has accomplished, for he has infected the workers—men and women—with at: enthusiasm that will outlast the war. He lias met and largely overcome the VjHlflßpiculty, and he has je -ved to the M^loyccs- that they will not be exploited in order to fdl the, coffers of the employers with extra profits. Tn dealing with tho employers he has been as fair as in the case of the men, limiting the divisible profits of controlled establishments to one-fifth above the standard. Practically the employees are enrolled for the nation just as much as the men in the field of war, and they are raised in status of importance. There may, of course, crop up minor difficulties occasionally, but they will not be allowed to interfere with the work in hand. The whole Empire should feel under a lasting debt of gratitude to Mr. Lloyd George for his wonderful success. Few men could have been found qualified to deal with such a vital matter at all, and it is doubtful whether there is any other statesman in Britain who could have accomplished the task in the thorough way in which the Minister of Munitions has done. Almost as if by the wave of a magic wand lie has transformed the laggards into enthusiasts. The arrears of supplies are almost overtaken, and in a very short while our forces will be enabled to take the offensive with every confidence of victory, knowing that their equipment is superior to that of the enemy. Britain was not prepared for war, and actually never has been, but in a few short weeks that will be altered, and her preparations, thanks to Mr. Lloyd George, will then tell a tale that will hasten tli3 duration of the war. Labor in the Homeland is attaining that dignity which is its due, and the fruits of which will be reaped in the coming future, when the workers recognise that they,'too, have a duty to perform for the common good and that tho brotherhood of mankind cannot bo maintained without mutual co-operation.