Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1915-07-28
ENGLAND's BIG LESSON.
lRN Ed L. Kaen

~ months 10 discover that What ne
needed most was general business
manager.
OF course he has learned several 9th.
er lessons, among them; That il doesn I
pay to conceal the truth; that the Brit
ish people resent being treated like
children; that they can stand hearing
bad news. aud that when the situation
is put before them with frankness they
can actually be as patriotic as French
men--or Germans
But the one big leSSon--which the
Germans have taught them--is that
war nowadays is quite as much OF a
business as IL is a science lie has seen
all the old theories ot warfare upset,
He wasn't prepared for the change in
styles He had no idea the system of
trench warfare would become so highly
developed; that such an amount of
high explosive shells would become nee.
esSaryi that prepouderating supply of
machine guns might spell all the diff
ference between success and failure;
that the Germans would introduce the
use of asphyXiating gas, liquid fire, and
other like agencies hitherto mrec0g
niaed in the conduct of civilized war
tare-but above all, that the German
superiority in the new style Of fighting
was due to the mobilization Of the On,
tire industrial resources Of the empire
coincidentally with the mobilization
Of soldiers.
| Take the matter of maehiuo.gun
alone. The Germans concentrated upon
their manufacture. Result, These wea
pons have practically rendered the rifle
useless and caused the slaughter OF
! British troops, When on the offensive,
in numbers entirely disproportiQuate to
/ that o' Germans in similar circum.
1 stances. Machiue.gunS cannot he i'm.
/ Iprovised, The machinery for making
them requires some nine months TO
build.
II was this question of munitions
that finally brought home TO the British
government appreciation of the Rhso
lutc necessity Of moAilizug the indus.
try Of the nation If the war was TO he
brought TO u successful conclusion.
France did il early in the war, but her
industrial resources, oven In peace
times, We're exceedingly limited as com.
pared with those of the British empire,
and today her most important industrial
provinces, including 20 per cent III her
steel production, are IN the hands Of
the enemy.
II is up TO Great Britain TO help not
only France, but Russia, as well as
herself. The driving of the Russian
armies out of Galicia was due solely to
their lack Of ammunition.
Hitherto Britain has pccn comcen.
trating upon soldiers, Now she is con.
centroting 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 frUn the trenches skilled
workmen whose enlistment, il is noN
agreed, should never have been per
q mitted. The enrolment OF volunteer,
for the kings nrmy--thc use OF IN,
, term 90 Kitchener y Army has recently
g been abandoned In the posters--o
. course continues, hut the enlistment o
, men at all qualified 10 work In mum
{ tion shops is discouraged,
d With the realization that organiza
? tion of the country y industries for IN,
4
I imperative came appreciation Of th,
d fact that the machinery of the govern
\ ment was inadequate Lord Kitchener
. had not only been overloaded personal
z ly but the antiqunted system OF th,
\ war office had proved itself Iucapabl,
/ Of handling the problem So the gov
r ornmcnt-mostlv Prime Minister A.
. quith-decidod 20 appWut @ genera
business manager.
LLOYD George, the little Welsh solicit
or, who NO successfully had been run
, ming the nation 's finances after rec
I, ord Of constructive reform Legislation
: without parallel n history was chosen
lie was given the title ~ minister OF
munitions; but his commission wa
y practically TO take charge Of the indus
tries OF the country The first thlnl
he did was 10 tell his fellow country
men the tru,h-thc grave danger con
fronting the empire through the lcplof
9 able slackucss hitherto prevailing 10
[. the manufacture Of the instruments ~
: warfare Next hc brought both labor
{ and capital iuto line he pot the trado'
! unions associated with muuiii0u.makinl
9 70 agree 10 suspend during the war theil
! rules restricting output ana 20 bend al
! their energies toward the desired oh
b iert, and b" got the manufacturers u
d agree TO forego nll additional profit
arising out VI war contracts in excess
4 Of 20 per cent. 70 eiuch matters he
I had parliament put these and oihe
} regulations into legislation lnrludul
4. immediate government cmtrol of ih'
Z workshops, and the creation Of munl
q tions court with power 20 Inllirt nie
: quate penalties for sackness, strikes
I lOck0uts. etc. Finally, 20 insure ON 900
o interrupted flow Of munitions in th,
Z largest quantity p'.iblc from tho lnit
q ed States aud Canada ho sent h0tf0o
4 10 America one Of England nbles
7. business men, j. a Thomas
o Meantime, just 10 demonstrate. LIoy'
/, George went out into one of the manu-
featuring districts where under The ol'
system ~ uhcoutpciiug about 1000
: shells month were being produced
Injected little ginger. and started al
OUTPUT uf 1901 900 shells % month, whirI
= be- expects 90 have Increased 10 an aver
age of 100000. lIo believes that unic
tie system already iInugufaicd th
= United Kingdom alone will Hoou b
y able 10 exceed the estimated product %
the central continental powers Dt 900
GOO shells day
3 FRANCE CLAIMS GREAT VICTORY
~