Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-07-29
Sixteen Munitions Factories
Established and Ten More
Are to Be Built.
OTHER ARMY SUPPLIES
ALSO TO BE PLENTIFUL
Troops Will Be Able to Cleave Their
Way to Victory. According
to Lloyd George.

LONDON. July 2e.-Sixteen national
munitions factories have been esta b.
lished in England, and, after consulta-
ton with the French ministry. the
British government has decided to set
up an additional ten large esta blsh
ments.
This announcement was made in the
house of commons last evening by the
minister of munitions, David Lloyd
George, who told of the progress made
by his department in overcoming the
shortage in shells. that had prevented
the army on the continent from doing
all it might otherwise have done.
These new factories are being erect
ed in the vicinity of the arsenals and
the existing armament Establishments
and, according to Mr.. Lloyd George,
when the government has completed. in
few weeks. the developments it is
now engaged on the supply of shells
will be doubled.
Sees Possible Victory
This said the minister. will not
merely enable US to support our men,
but Will enable them to cleave their
way through to victory.
Mr.. Lloyd George explained that until
the new factories are built the work
speeding up existing contracts. At
first the government had been faced
with a grave labor shortage and some
machines were lying idle because no
one could be found to work them. One
third of the machines engaged in gov
eminent work at the outset were not
being utilized at night
10000 Workers Added.
During three months his department
had succeeded in adding nearly 10000
men and women-nearly half of the
men skilled-to the ranks of the work
ers connected with ornaments, and
they were pouring in further supplies.
His department had also enrolled 1907
900 volunteers, but it had been found
difficult to remove the majority of
these from their present employment.
However, scores of thousands of skill
ed men who had enlisted had been
traced, and arrangements were made
with the war office for the return of
these men to the factories
While the trade union leaders had
agreed to the relaxation of trade union
restrictions, he had not been able to
convince the men without giving fig
ures. which he dare not give. Were
all restrictions relaxed hundreds of
thousands of men could be added to
the works.
More Machine Guns.
Steps. Mr.. L.oyd George said. had
been taken to iI.-rease the supply of
machine guns and hand grenades for
trench warfare The country had been
divided into two great cooperative
areas, so that all available machinery
could be used for turning out supplies.
The national factories erected and
those to be erected would be under
government control and he believed
that this would have an influence on
the men, who would not object to
temporary relaxation of their trade
union rules when the government, and
not an individual. was proflting.
Full Equipment Assured.
The government had taken over the
control of the machine tool factories,
so that no delay would arise in
equipping the new establishments. This
would tax the engineering resources
of the country, but when all was COM
pleted. within few months. the gov
eminent would be able to equip the
armies in a way which would leave
them in no way inferior to the best
equipped armies on the continent.