The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-04-23
England a War Workshop
From Tit-Bits.

Iioi- Ill-DllS.
 | Carping critics tell us that we do no
 make enough use of the business me, | or the nation, which merely empha size
 their ignorance of the work of the min
 1stry of munitions, which has organize,
 the labor of the country in such a mar velous manner for the purpose of turnins i out munitions of war-work which vii be the deciding factor in this great sturg gle. For MT. Lloyd George has enlisted under his banner the best business brain, in the country. The greatest engineers contractors, managers, railway and ship. plng magnates, mining authorities. sci. entists and chemists have welded them selves into a body which has transformed Britain into one huge arsenal.
 We have already told in Tit-Bits how the whole of the United Kingdom hal been mapped out into huge munition areas; how nearly 17,000 munition fac. tories are working night and day, turn Ing out material for our men in the fight
 ing line-material which we so woefully lacked at the beginning of the war. And IT further proof were wanted of our ex- traord1nary resources in this direction, it can be found in a striking article which Il. 1nburgh Review"
 As pr. Shadwell says, the munitions office Is staffed with practical men of the hghest standing and capacity ''None or the knowing critics could suggest Sd good a list; they do not know enough. Ihere IS, for instance, the Bombay and Burma Trading company. It is said to De the largest trading concern in exist ence, and the reader will perhaps be in Cllne0 tO hnIjaua one of the assets of that company Is 44'oOo0O0 worth of trained elephants alone Yet the manager of this immense busi- ness IS content to occupy an assistant s seat Tn suboffice of the supply depart- ment'
 Ihls IS but one example of the business seniuses who have made great sacrifices utilized for munition work At the head or the munitions supply department is Sir frederick Black. a man who for three years was director of naval stores. Every source has been tapped, t'the country 7, 10 quote pr. Shadwell having been raled With tooth-comb for all the spare unitc avallaple. It is not confined to industrial oistrlcts. It penetrates into remote re- gions' associated only with agriculture or pleasure resorts VI
 wherever two or three lathes are gath cred together, there some help is being gwen. There is house in LondonS west central district-where a man ana Ills Wife have given up two rooms-a pedroom and sitting room-and have in- stalled four lathes They are makine caps Tor some form of ammunition. and since there was not room enough for tbe metal rod from which the caps are made 10 De Ted into the machine, they Knocked noie in the wall to give it play. The case illustrates the spirit which the mu- nltions net IS able to catch, and the small forces enrolled thereby in the service.''
 The state arsenals have been taken over ny the ministry of munitions, while if may be mentioned that the head of the .ta i sscline.tooi department is the head of nave; and he has working under him ex- perts representing each of the principa, machine-tool making districts in the conn. try Wherever there has been exner+ laoor, expert labor has been organized TOT munltlon work. so that when the right time comes the allies will be able to ha t- ter In the German lines. and go on bat. tering for weeks and perhaps for months