Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-07-14

, said, "and now victory is beginning to
flow in our direction. This change is
due to the Improvement in our equip
ment"
The conference was held at the war
office. and was participated in by AL
bert Thomas. French minister of NUM-
of war of Russia; Gen. A. Dalai OHIO.
member of the Italian ministry of war,
and the new British minister of NUM-
tions. Edwin S. Montagu-
'Since our last munitions confer
ence,' said Mr.. Lloyd George, there
has been a considerable change in the
fortunes of the allies. On that date
the great Champagne offensive in the
west had just failed to attain it's OBJ
jective, and the French and British
armies had sustained heavy losses
without the achievement of any part1c-
ular success. In the east the enemy
had pressed the gallant armies of Rus
STA back some hundred miles and the
Balkans had just been overrun by the
central powers.
Landscapes Complexion Changed.
THE overwhelming victories won by
the valiant soldiers Of Russia have
struck terror into the hearts of our
foes, and these coupled with the i'm
mortal defense of Verdun by our In
domitable French comrades, and the
brave resistance of the Italians against
overwhelming odds in the southern
Alps have changed the whole COM
plexion of the landscape
"Now, the combined offensive in the
east and west has wrenched the
initiative out of the hands of the
enemy-never. l trust, to return to his
grasp. We have crossed the watershed
and now victory is beginning to flow
in our direction.
why have our prospects improved?
hn to, fho tiyNrv1 ant nf nJ1T~
armies has improved enormously and
is continuing to improve.
"The British navy until recently has
absorbed more than half the metal
workers of this country. The task of
building new ships and repairing the
old ones for the gigantic navy, and fit
ting and equipping them, occupies the
energies of a million men.
Most of our new factories now are COM
plete; most of the machinery has been
set up. Hundreds of thousands of men
and women hitherto unaccustomed to
metal and chemical work, have been
trained for munitions making.
Vast Stream of Guns.
Every month we are turning out hun
dreds of guns and howitzers, light, me-
dunn and heavy. Our heavy guns are
rolling in at a great rate, and we are
turning out nearly twice as much ammu-
milton in a single week-and, what is
more, nearly three times as much heavy
shell-as we fired for the great offensive
in September although the ammunition
we expended in that battle was the result
of many weary weeks accumulation. The
new factories and workshops we set up
have not yet attained one-thrd their full
capacity, but their output is now increas-
ing with great rapidity. Our main diff
culties in organization, construction, equip
ment, labor supply and adjustment have
been solved. If officials. employers and
workmen keep at 1t with the same zeal
and assiduity as they have hitherto en-
ployed our supplies will soon be over
whelming.
Il cannot help thinking that the i'm
provement in the Russian ammunition
has been one of the greatest and most
unpleasant surprises the enemy has sus-
tanned Still our task is but half ac-
complished. Every great battle furnishes
additional proof that this is a war of
equipment. More ammunition means more
victories and fewer casualties"