The Washington times., 1915-07-28
AS SEEN IN ENGLAND
By ED L. KEEN.


Bull ten months to discover that
business manager.
or 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 like children: that they can
stand hearing bad news. and that
when the situation Is put before them
with franknes they can actually be
as patriotic as Frenchmen-or Ger
mans.
But the one big iesson-which the
Germans have taught him-is that
war nowadays is qquite as much OF
a business as 1t Is a science. He
has seen all the old theories OF war
fare upset. He wasn't prepared for
the change In styles. He had no
idea the system OF trench warfare
would become 30 highly developed;
that such an amount of high explo-
sive shells would become necessary;
that a preponderating supply of ma
chine guns might spell all the differ
ence between success and failure;
that the Germans would introduce
the use Of asphyxiating gas. liquid
fire. and other like agencies hitherto
unrecognized in the conduct OF civil
lied warfarc-but above all that the
German superiority in the new style
of fighting was due to the mobiliza-
ton of the entire Industrial resources
Of the empire coincidentally with tho
mobilization OF soldiers.
Take the matter Of machine guns
alone. The Germans concentrated
upon their manufacture. Result:
these weapons have practically rend-
cred the rifle useless. and caused the
slaughter of British troops. when on
the offensive. in numbers entirely dis
proportionate to that of Germans
In similar circumstances. Machine
guns cannot be improvised. The ma
chinery for making them requires
some nine months to build.
1t was this question Of munitions
that finally brought home to the
British government appreciation Of
the absolute necessity of mobilizing
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. were exceedingly
limited as compared with those of
the British empire. and today her
most important 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.
not only France. but Russia. as we'll
as herself. The driving OF the Rus
sian armies out OF Galicia was due
solely to their lack Of ammunition.
Hitherto Britain has be IN concen-
trating upon soldiers. Now she Is
concentrating on munitions. Get
into the factory line and supply the
firing line." has replaced on the pos
ters the old familiar. Your King
and country need you at the front"
They are even bringing back from
the trenches skilled workmen whose
enlistment. 1t 10 now agreed. should
never have been permitted. The en-
rollment Of volunteers for the King 8
army-the use of the term "Kitchner's 8
Army" has recently been aba ndoned
in the posters-of course continues.
but the enlistment OF men at all
qualified to work In munition shops
Is discouraged.
With the realization that organixa-
ton OF the country's industries for
the manufacture OF munitions had
become imperative came appreciation
of the fact that the machinery of the
government was inadequate. Lord
Kitchner had not only been over.
loaded personally. but the antigua.
proved itself incapable of handling
the problem. So the government
mostly Prime Minister Asquith-de.
cided to appoint general business
manager.
Lloyd-George. the little Welsh
solicitor. who SO successfully hat
been running the nations finances
after a record of constructive re
form legislation without parallel II
history. was chosen. He was givel
the title of minister Of munitions
but his commission was practically
to take charge Of the Industries o
the country; The first thing he di'
the truth-the grave danger con
fronting the empire through the de
plorable slackness hitherto prevail
ing in the manufacture OF the in
struments of warfare. Next h
brought both labor and capital int
Nne. He got the trades unions as
sociated with munition-making (
agree to suspend during the wa
their rules restricting output and I
bend all their energies toward tn
desired object; and he got tn
manufacturers to agree to forego a.
additional profits arising out OF wa
contracts in excess Of 20 per cen,
To cinch matters he had parliamen
put these and other regulations int
legislation. including immediate gov
ernment control of the workshops
and the creation of a munition
court with power to inflict adequat
| penalties for slackness. strikes
lockouts. etc. Finally. to insure a
uninterrupted flow of munitions 1
| the largest quantity possible fror
the United States and Canada. h
| sent hot-foot to America one Q
| England's ablest business men, I
"A. Thomas.
Meantime. Just to demonstrate
Lloyd-George went out into one Q
the manufacturing districts where
| under the old system OF subcor
| tracing, about 10000 shells a mont
were being produced. injected littl
ginger. and started an output c
$50, 900 shells a month. which he es
poets to have increased to an aver
age of 100000. He believes that un
der the system already inaugurate
the United Kingdom alone will 500
| be able to exceed the estimate
product OF the central continents
nFn H. III @nN