Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-07-29
BRITISH LABOR SIIIRKS
DUTY, LLOYD-GEORGE
CHARGES IN COMMONS
Work on Munitions Far Be
hind Nations Need, Min
lister Declares-Ten New
Arsenals to Be Estab-
1ished.
LONDON. July %.

LONDON, July 20
The House Of Commons last nlsht de.
oided to adjourn from today until Sep.
tefnber "a, but before this decision was
reached the members heard Minister Of
Munitions Lloyd-George make the follow.
ing charges;
The munitIon contractors are behind
time IN their contracts
Labor is not keeping to its agreement
70 suspend trade union rules during the
emergency.
Four-nfths OF the munltion- ma
chinery OF England IA not employed fun
time and only one-hfth Of 1t is working
at night
There cannot be an increased output
from old works for weeks and perhaps
months.
From the other side OF the ledger we're
entered the following credits:
That the Government 10 shortly 70 es-
tablish 10 new national arsenals In ad-
dition to the 16 cooperative factories al
ready under Government control.
Forty thousand volunteer workmen are
at work and 100000 are to be utilized,
among these being skilled workmen who
are to be brought back from the front.
substantial increase in the output Of
shells and other munitions from new es-
Adjustments will largely be made within
Few weeks.
Commons adopted the Governments
proposal to adjourn without going to the
division Hobbies and the Government IT.
self emerged from a fiery assault un-
scathed and with the approval OF a ma
jority OF the members.
Sir Henry Dalziel, Liberal member for
Klrkealdy, and Sir Arthur B. Markham,
Liberal from the Mansfield division or
Nottinghamshire. were the chief critics
OF the Government.
Sir Henry explained that he was not
satisfied with the progress of the Allies
troops in Flanders, insisting that the
great advance promised for the spring
and snmemr had not been realized. He
asked why, in the Dardanelles. there had
been a bombardment by the Allies fleet
without the cooperation of the land
forces
Frankly announcing that the confidence
he had had in the Government nine
months ago had been displaced, Sir
Henry also asked II any one in authority
In the War ONCE had been "cashiered'
for the failure to supply sufficient muni-
tions. The Governments delay in using
asphyxiating gas against the Germans
also was criticised, and the Government
also held responsible for the discomfort
among the workers, due to its failure to
deal with the question OF food supplies.
Markhams contribution was that the
public had lost confidence In the War
ONCE, which had proved "miserably in
efficient in It's conduct of the war"
British self-suhiciency, which has con-
sidered 1t as certain since the outbreak
of the war that everything would come
out all right received a rude Jolt when
Minister of Munitions Lloyd George
spoke
Coolly, almost coldly, the Minister in
formed the Commons that the cJntrac-
tors for munitions are already woefully
behind in their contracts and that 1t will
he weeks or months before the country
can hope for any substantial output from
new works. Four-fifths of the machinery
in the armament works is not working
full time. and only one-fifth is being used
at night.
II was altogether a discouraging pic
ture drawn by the speaker That af-
fected only present conditions; for the