Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-07-28
FRENCH STRATEGY KEPT GERMANS FROM
CALAIS; BRITISH WAKE UP AT LAST;
GERMANS PROVE MILITARY SUPERIORITY
England Learns 1t
Must Supply Modern
Munitions as Well as
Soldiers.
BY ED. L. KEEN

By ED. L. KEEN
LONDON, July 2s.--It took John Bul
10 months TO discover that what he
needed most was a general business man
agerS
OF course, he has learned several other
! lessons, among them that it doesn't pay
to conceal the truth; that the British
| people resent being treated IKE children;
| that thoy can stand hearing bad news,
and that when the situation Is put be-
fore them with frankness they can ac-
tually be as patriotic as Frenohuoon or
Germana
But tho one big lesson-which the Ger
mans have taught hinl--ls that war now
a-days is quite as much Of business as
IL is n science, He has seen an the old
theories Of wnrfare upset. He wasn't
prepared for the change In styles He
had no Idea the system Of trench war
fare would become 50 highly developed;
that such an amount of high explosive
shells would become necessary; that n
preponderntlng supply OF machine guns
might spell an tho difference between
success and faifures that the Germans
would Introduce the use Of nsphyxiatlng
gas, liquid fro and other like agencies
hitherto unrecoEniEed In the conduct OF
civilized warfare-but, above all that, the
German superiority In the new style OF
fighting was due to the mobilization of
the entire industrial resources OF the
Empire coincldentally with the mobillza-
ton OF soldiers
Take the matter Of machine guns alone.
Tho Germans concentrated upon their
manufacture Result: These weapons
have practically rendered tho ride use
less, and caused the slaughter OF British
troops. when on the offensive, in num-
bers entirely disproportionate to that OF
Germans in similar circumstances. Ma
chine guns cannot be improysed. The
machinery for making them requires
some nine months to build.
WAKES UP AT LAST.
1t was this question of munitions that
finally brought home to the British Gov
ernment appreciation of the absolute ne
cessity OF mobillzing the industry OF the
nation II the war was to be brought to a
successful conclusion. France did 1t early
In the war, but her Industrial resources.
even In peace times, we're exceedingly
limited as compared with those of the
British Empire, and today her most i'm
portant Industrial provinces, including 70
per cent. OF her steel production, are In
the hands OF the enemy
1t Is up to Great Britain to help out
not only France, but Russia. as we'll as
herself. The driving of the Russian
armies out of Galicia was due solely to
their lack of ammunition.
Hitherto Britain has been concentrating
upon soldiers. Now she Is concentrating
on munitions. Get into the factory line
and supply the firing line" has replaced
on the posters the old familiar Your
King and country need you at the front"
They are even bringing back from the
trenches skilled workmen whose enlist
ment, II Is now agreed, should never have
been permitted. The enrolment of yolun-
fAarq ha ty,p Sc
term "Sitcheners army" has recently
been abandoned in the posters-of course
continues, but the enlistment OF men at
all qualified to work in munltion shops is
discouraged.
With the realization that organization
OF the country's industries for the manu-
facture of munitions had become impera-
tive came appreciation of the fact that
the machinery of the Government was
Lord Kitchener had not only
been overloaded personally, but the anti
quated system of the War Office had
proved itself incapable of handling the
problem. So the Government-mostly
Prime Minister Asquith-decided to ap-
point general business manager.
LLoYD-GEoRGE CHOSEN.
Lloyd-George. the Welsh solicitor. who
so successfully had been running the ma
tion's finances, after record of construc-
in history, was chosen. He was given the
title of Minister of Munitions; but his
was practically to take
charge OF the industries OF the country
The first thing he did was to tell his
the truth-the grave
danger confronting the Empire through
the deplorable slaclSness hitherto prevail
ing in the manufacture of the instruments
Of warfare. Next he brought both labor
and capital into line. He got the trades
unions associated with munition making
TO agree TO suspend during the war their
rules restricting output and to bend all
their energies toward the desired object;
and he got the manufacturers to agree to
forego. all additional profits arising out of
war contracts in excess OF 20 per cent.
To cinch matters he had Parliment put
hese and other regulations in legisla-
Ion. including immediate government
control OF the workshops. and the crea-
ion OF a Munitions Court with power TO
nhict adequate penalties for slackness,
strikes, lockouts, etc. Finally, TO insure
m uninterrupted flow of munitions In the
argest quantity possible from the United
states and Csnada, he sent hot-foot 70
america one OF England's ablest business
men, ID. A. Thomas.
Meantime. just to demonstrate. Lloyd
George went out into one of the manu- |
'acturing districts wrere, under the old |
ystem OF sub-contraoting, about 1000 |
shells a month were being produced, in |
ected a little ginger and started an out |
tut of 10000 shells a month. which he |
Expects 10 have Increased to an average |
II 100000. He believes that under the /
alone will soon be able TO ex- /
,eed the estimated product of the Central |
Continental Powers OF 10000 shells day |