ROUMANIAN MUNITIONS.

Taranaki Daily News, 31 October 1916, Page 5

ROUMANIAN MUNITIONS.

< CURIOUS STORIES. GETTING EVEN WITH THE HUN. We do score sometimes afte: all. There is a good story of the supply of munitions to Roumania by the Allies through a military commission long established in Paris, because Germany so little suspected what was toward that she also was sending shells to Bucharest in return for Roumanian grain, regarding it no doubt as an excellent bargain, since they must, accoording to her reading of the signs of the. times, soonei or later be used against the enemies of the Fitherland. For that alone the Roumanians will probably get at the hands of the German press a double dose of scurrility, and perhaps an "enemy bate" all to themselves. "MATTER OF INVOICING. 1 ' Roumania's field artillery.is Krupp guns, and although the. Matin reports that three-quarters of the munitions now in possession of Roumania were manufactured in France and England, a good deal came from Germany; otherwise Roumania, until events took the present turn, would have been in a perilous situation. Roumania had ordered and paid for a considerable supply of shells in the earlier stages of the war, but Germany put off fulfilling her contracts, and made every effort to hurry munitions through to her ally at Constantinople. There is an interesting story about one large consignment of shells which did not go beyond Roumania. The German Government protested strongly, about a train-load of munitions being seized by Roumania. The Roumanian official reply was that there must have been some mistake. Roumania had or' dercd and paid for a large supply of shells from Krupps. It was true that a consignment of this order had recently been received by Roumania, but they had no information of any Turkish goods being stopped in transit. Germany protested yet more strongly. The Roumanian reply was again diplomatic, pointing out that if any mistake had been made it was purely a question of invoicing, as the goods had been ordered by Roumania, and the quantity received and unloaded could be considered part of the contract without opening up any question about traffic between Germany and Turkey. Whether true or not, the story is a pretty one. German munitions for Turkey via Roumania were certainly stopped, and the necessity for the "corridor" through Servia impressed itself upon the German staff. Krupp guns and Krupp shells by now are firing into the Germanic forces. It is also true that before the war broke out Bulgaria had Creusot guns and shells. SHELLS FROM BRITAIN. Three-quarters of the munitions now in possession of Roumania were manufactured in factories of France and England. These munitions, the output of which reached 400,000 tons a day, were conveyed to Roumania via Archangel and IPetrograd. All the Roumanian aeroplanes bear the French mark. Thanks to the activities of the, mission, Roumania now possesses the material necessary to ensure the success of her troops. It is reported from Bucharest that during the past few months the Roumanian Government has enormously increased the output of munitions, and that no fewer than 470 large munition factories have been established, all of which are now working night and day.