The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-06-20
DETAILS OF LACK
 OF WAR MUN|T|ON
Shells for Big Guns Most Needed, Says General
 O'Callaghan

London. June 5.-(correspondence of the Associated PressD-some details of the shortage in the supply of war munitions are given in statement by Nal Gen. ] Desmond o'Callashan, who has been en- gagged in engineering work for the war office since the beginning of hostilities l He says:
 Though the general aspect of shortage of munitions is within the grasp of the | man in the street the separate difficult l ties of supply which combine to bring about that shortage are not generally so well understood. Setting aside guns and rifles and conf.ning the survey strictly | to the supply of ammunition. small arm or rifle and machine gun cartridges come | first for consideration Tn the manu- l lecture of this class of ammunition ma l chinery plays d. considerable part and a | large amount of skilled labor is not re- quired There are many sources which can he drawn upon for it's supply, and 1 a shortage of small arm ammunition is 1 therefore not greatly to be feared. | Next come shells for guns and how | itzers These have to be cast or forged, l the preparation of the steel and its sub- 1 sequent trea tment demanding skilled labor of a high order and processes that cans not be hurried. Good guage work with screw cutting lathes is required and the number of factories and foundries | that can undertake such work is lim- | tied
 Each shell is furnished with a fuse, and fuses are delicate pieces of mech- | ansm which can only be produced in | factories specially equipped for this work. Contracts for these cannot be put out l to firms which have recently so readily taken mp the making of spare parts for motors aeropanes and warship equip ment.
 "Cordite and high explosives obviously l range themselves under the same cate- | gory There is no dearth of the raw material, but the sources of supply of ex- plosves are few and the processes in- voved in their production are not sus- ceptible of being hurried.
 As to wlfu delay in actual manufac- ture it is harder to speak. In coun- try where universal service is the law. this cause of shortage presumably does not exist. It is difficult to picture a Ger man workman sitting with folded arms in front of motionless machine at the 1 bidding of his trade union. Being under martial law, he would either be shot
 in the factory yard or sent to the fore front of the battle. We have no such hold over our workmen. and until they awake to the naked truth that we are fighting for our very existence and that their apathy is endangering their own skins,
 
 overcome this risk of the shortage of ammunition"
 
 Der bed or frame then you must pre- pare bed for the spawn. Procure fresh l stable manure, and, to each barrow load of manure allow the same weight of | fresh soil. Bulk for bulk, soil is heavier than manure, so I should estimate about one-third of the proportion being soil, the rest manure. Mix the soil and ma- nure. and put into heap for few days to heat. Turn it over so that the central portion comes to the top, and all por- tions get the same treatment. Don't let
 the rain get to it, but cover the heap with burlap if it rains. At the same tim6 | a gentle moisture must be maintained. so that little water may be sprinkled over each time you turn the manure.
 After the bed is made or the boxes made
 ready test the temperatures Anything between 55 and 10 degrees will be suit able, but most experts agree that 60 Is . the best heat Above 60 should he
 voi,ile,i, # possible, s;;ia ities:s. .fi.sh- s rooms grow at lower temperature than
 30 degrees, they will come very slowly , indeed You can get thermometer for = measuring such heat.
 n Break up your spawn into pieces moi e larger than hen s egg. not smaller thar e a walnut, and if the weather is very O hot dip these pieces into lukeWarm water d before inserting Put each piece In abou
 four inches down and about F inches O apart gently cover up the hole. and wher u all the spawn has been planted, leve s the bed carefully and cover with abou y two inches of good, loamy soil. If ho S weather sprinkle over with tepid water l. repeating this treatment every other day 1t Then cover the beds with straw, bu e if wet weather set in more protection IT will be necessary.
 D. When the pin heads Of the mush
 rooms begin to show another sprinklint T. of soil should be sifted over.