The Topeka state journal., 1916-12-27

year From the start Britain mas oeen
the treasury of the allies; now II mas
become their armory. When Lloyd
George began turning England's fac
tories into arsenalS the Germans were
manufacturing and shooting about ten
shells to the allies one. There was
a time when on certain sections or the
battle line British gunners were limit
ed to four rounds per day. Upon
America and Japan Britain was de-
pending for the most part for its sup
plies of machine guns, heavy artillery
and high explosives. Now these con-
ditions are all reversed. More than
1000 private firms in England, 95 per
cent of whom before the war had new
er produced a gun, a shell, or a cart
ridge, now are turning out munitions
of one sort or another.
Just after the munitions act was
passed Lloyd d-George startled the coun-
try by announcing that eleven new
government arSenals had been pro-
vided for. Today there are more than
ninety most of them producing big
guns, howitzers, or high explosives
The weekly output of 1903 cartridges
is now greater by millions than Eng
lands entire annual output before the
war A new type of machine-gun is
being turned out by the hundred every
week iE one factory built in the last
year The general output OF heavy
artillery has increased by several hun
dred per cent.
Women Make Munitions.
The total number of war workers
has increased to nearly 100000, OF
whom half a million are women.
Practically the whole of England's
vast industrial resources, except those
necessary fer the supply of the civil
population, have been mobilized for
war purposes. Every factory in the
land, If called upon, is required to de-
vote at least a part of its activities to
turning out war material. The pro-
portion of munitions now furnished by
America and Japan has become almost
negligible.
Moreover England is not merely
supplying her own big armies. She
has had to help out Russia, France
and Italy, especially the first named.
1t has been largely due to English
guns ard English shells that the Rus
slams have been able to put the Ger
mans on the defensive. Large guam
titles Of English munitions were sent
also to Rumania, and the Serbian
army would doubtless still be fighting
for Monastir had it not been thoroly
re-equipped by Great Britain.
But this is not all. The munitions
industry in this country is constantly
growing If the war should continue
so long next years figures will doubt
less dwarf those of 1916 as these do
last years.
Air service Invaluable.
Giving all due credit to the allied
strategy in general and to Haig's mill
tary genius in particular, as well as
to the admitted improvement of Tom
my as fighting proposition, and the
present superiority of the British air
service, there is after all only one
answer for the recent successes along
the Somme and the Ancre-munitions
The lessons of Ypres Neuve Chapelle,
and Loos have been well learned.
In the latter days of 1916 Britain
! has been applying another lesson
also learned from the Germans-how
/ to provide against the possible day of
! want, and how to curb the greed of a
| few unpatriotic citizens who have
| taken advantage of wars conditions to
! line their own pockets. In this enter
| prise, as in others, Britain gives signs
| of improving on German methods. At
! any rate it will be able to avoid some
| of the mistakes made by the German
food conservation department, with
! which it is fully conversant. Before
Runciman launched his epochaI
scheme in commons last month he
had at hand the fullest and most COM
prehensive reports gathered by the
governments intelligence bureaus of
the operations of the German system
costs 25 Million a Day.
There is one realm in which Britain
didn't have to take any lessons. AS a
, banker John Bull is not merely COM
fortably well heeled; he is an expert.
The British government. despite it's
average expenditure of $25,0OOOOO a
day since the war began, besides the
tremendous contributions made to its
friends, has had no difficulty at all in
raising successive loans both at home
and in America and at reasonable
rates.
| Finances and the navy are the least
OF Britain's troubles in this war. but
recently the naval administration long
under considerable fire, has expert
enced shakeup. Arthur ]. Balfour.
whose regime as first admiralty lord
was criticised, is now foreign secretary
in the reorganized cabinet The man
who with him stood the brunt of com
plant from the public for responsiniI-
1ty for the recent German channel
raid and for lack Of suppression of the
Zeppelin menace, Admiral jackson.
was transferred from his post of first
sea lord to the admiral board
Admirals Jellicoe and Beatty. tn
whom the public gives credit for the
!. glorious victory off the Jutland, coast.
advanced by this transfer. Jellicoe he
, came first sea lord and Beatty COM
mander of the grand fleet-the young,
est man ever to hold that great post.
Britannia still rules the wavesi