The Washington times., 1916-12-26
By ED l.. KEEN.

Tho mistakes OF 1910 were rather
distressing at tho time, but they
proved excellent teachers. Being
backward pupil. as always. John
Bull had to be driven. and the pro-
cess was necessarily painful.
From the Dardanelies to Mesopo'
tamia, from Neuve Chappellc to Loos,
from sofia to Athens, he blundered
along, but, as rubseau ent history has
demonstrated, all tho time acquiring
merit. ont OF every strategic fail
urc, every unfulfilled expectation,
both military and political. he man
aged TO learn something-and the les
sons stuck.
Led 20 Dictatorship.
First OF all the lesson OF centralized
power in the direction OF war, or in
ternal government, OF domestic econ
omy and OF efficiency, thoroughly
learned, led him to put the man who
above all others has done most for
England-David Lloyd -George-int n
practical dictatorship over all those
branches Of British activity.
The AHquith cabinet, with Its mud
ding along" fell because British pub.
lie opinion. almost Holidly aligned be-
hind "the little welshman" demanded
supreme efficiency In Englsnd's fight
for life.
II was characteristic OF Lloyd.
George. the breaker OF precedent.
that he should sweep away nearly
all the old ministerial machinery AMI
substitute for the loosely knit, slow
moving, oyer-officered cabinet small,
compact war council OF five members
Il ha
acauiescence OF John Bull.
And John Bull. who usually has to
be driven, and who usually hates new.
tangled things, showed the trans.
formation In his character which the
war has wrought by standing behini
Lloyd-George.
Learned ysiue OF Orsssisstien.
by reason OF hu. early unsuccessful
adventures In the Near East he gath
cred invaluable knowledge In the
matter OF Organization and equip.
meut which he has this year applied
In other quarters.
As a result OF the failure OF his
| troops In the west In the spring and
fall OF 1915 TO attain their desired OBJ
Jective he made certain changes IN
personnel. vastly Improved his or
ganiEation behind the lines, and above
all learned that the only way reri'
ously TO dent the German front was
with a preponderating supply OF shot
and shell.
In tho neld OF diplomacy. wherein
the Germans at FIRST cut circles all
around him. he II steadily improving.
lie lost Bulgaria to the allied cause,
but the experience he acquired In that
! process enabled him to gather In Rou-
mania.
/ Just now. by the fortunes OF war,
RoumaniR appears TO be "A doubtful
military asset. IL not "A liability. but
mt the time unauestionably the en-
| listment OF this coGntry with the
allies was a diplomatic stroke OF tirst
importance.
IL was entirely characteristic OF
John that although he knew Fritz
had a forty years start on him In
this military game he ignored Fritx's
methods until they were forced Upon
him. But now. thanks to the hard
knocks OF 1915. there In very little
more that Fritz can teach him.
Adopted Conseriptios.
Early In 1915 lie adopted conscrip-
ton. Had Il been introduced a year
before. the war might have been over
today. Engllshmen have responded In
unprecedented fashion TO their King
and country's call under TIE voluntary
system. but IL was only the certainty
OF ultimate conscription that finally
brought the enrolment up to 10000.
men. The holding OF this huge lump
OF human raw material into an emf
Client military machine has been gi-
gantic task. but its proper equipment
has been a greater.
Little less than miraculous has been
the development OF the munitions in
dustry In this country during the last
year. From the start Britain has
been the treasury of the allies; now IL
has become their armory.
When Lloyd-George began turning
England's factories into arsenals the
| Germans WERE manufacturing and
shooting about ten shells to the allies
one. There was time when on GER
tain sections of the battleline British
gunners were limited to four rounds
per day.
Upon America and Japan. Britain
was depending for the most part for
Its supplies OF machine guns. heavy
artillery. and high explosives. Now
these conditions are all reversed.
/ mOTc IMAM 1'VVV pIiNhtc uTHlb III Eng
land, 95 per cent OF which before the
swar had never produced a gun. a
shell. or a cartridge. now are turn
ing out munitions of one sort or an
other.
New Arsenais Provided.
Just after the munitions act was
passed, LIoyd-George startled the
country by announcing that eleven
new government arsenals had been
provided for. Today there are more
than ninety. most OF them producing
big guns. howitzers, or high explo-
sives. The weekly output OF .S0S
cartridges is now greater by millions
than Englands entire annual output
before the war.
A new type OF machine gun is be,
ing turned out by the hundred every
week in one factory built In the last
year. The general output OF heavy
artillery has increased by several
hundred per cent. The total number