The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-12-21
Lloyd George Prophesies De-
feat Unless Greater Eff
forts Are Put Forth
MUNITIONS ARE
THE GREATEST NEED
$4,000 Skilled Workers Needed to oper-
ate Factories Unless Movements
Are Quickened Damnation Will Be
fal! Great Cause.

LONDON, Dec. 81. - David Lloyd
George, minister of munitions, made a
stirring address in the House of Com
mons yesterday, in which he prophesied
that if Great Britain and the allies do
not make new and greater efforts the
end of the war viii be defeat
It was the first official direct state
ment that the cause of the allies is in
real danger and that military opera
tions have not gone as they should.
1.-The superficial facts, - he said,
care against us, but the fundamental
facts are in our favor
He declared that the whole question
of victory or defeat is now a question
of munitions. New factories for the
output of guns and explosives, factories
in which are installed the most i'm
proved machinery, are lying idle, he
said, for lack of men. At the present
moment the ministry of munitions
needs 10000 skilled workers to operate
these factories and 1900 or 5000 un-
skilled laborers. Through the lack OF
such an army of workers factories
which might turn the allies reverses
into victories are gathering dust.
"Unless we quie ken our move
ments, exclaimed the minister of mu-
nitions, damnation will befall the
great cause for which so much blood
has been shed"
He said that the situation has now
boiled itself down to a simple question
is the war to be ended in year OF
shall it be allowed to linger on9 1t is
for labor, said he, to supply the answer
In his remarks Mr.. Lloyd George said
that in May the Germans were manu-
featuring 250,000 high explosive shells
daily. In that month England was
producing $500 high explosive shells
and $4,000 shrapnel shells daily.
In the same month, despite all that
had been done in urging the manufac
turers of munitions to speed up their
work and in spite of all the appeals tC
labor, deliveries of high explosive shell
bodies We're only is per cent of the
totals which had been promised.
In such circumstances, said the min
lister of munitions, the first step was
to see that the existing contracts were
carried out and the second was to seel
fresh sources OF supply.
|, In September, when the British anC
French forces made their great driv,
III Artois and Champagne, the expendi
ture of shells, Mr.. Lloyd George said
was enormous. Nevertheless, the chic
of staff was perfectly satisfied with tn
| quantity on hand. But the fact re
manned that it had required fou
months of most careful outstanding t
create the supply which in that often
sive was expended within comparative
ly few days.
It required q month after the attac
had been concluded to replace the shell
used. At the present time the munitio
output is so much improved that yer
soon it will be possible to replace
similar quantity of shells in one week
There are other bright aspects in tn
situation. The supply of field guns
satisfactory Up to midsummer, he sait
big guns had not been ordered on
! large scale, while just now the heaN
lest siege guns used at the beginnin
of the war are in the highest demand
But the need for machine guns ha
increased enormously. The casualtie
caused by this type of artillery is p1oi
ably 90 per cent of all casualties. Tn
output of these pieces, Mr.. Lloy
George said, depends entirely on labo
The factories and machinery are read
to make them in sufficient auantitie
but so far the ministry of munitior
has been unable to secure anything liz
an adequate number of shilled laborer