The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1917-08-06
BY Kenneth W. Payne

a
GLASGOW, Aug. 8. - After
three years of war, Britain is just
getting ready to fight.
That is the outstanding lesson
of a tour of Britain's great war
workshops which | have just
made.
The best test of the future
trend of the war lies not at the
front but in the organization of
colossal industries behind the
front. BY that test, the third
birthday of the war finds Great
Britain's military might only now
approaching it's maximum.
5000 Men There
/ have climbed around one huge
northern drydock, larger than
anything we have in the United
States. which did not even exist
when war broke out. Now over
5000 men are kept busy there, re-
fitting warships, and 1000 more
will soon be employed. And that
is only one tiny corner of the vast,
bewildering stage of the British
war Industries.
Our party was taken down the
Clyde, to see the shipbuilding
yards speeding up to beat the
U-boats. We found the ship
builders, while turning out an in
credible number of various kinds
of ships, actually were making
guns and shells and tanks and air
ships as well, in vast quantity.
Another day we went to
one of the Vicker's plants, to
see big guns being made. And
IL turned out they were MAX
ing submarines and cruisers
and freighters and gas shells
also.
The third days trip, however,
took us to a factory where they
were sticking close to the one job
they were built for-cordite max
ing, and hazardous enough 1t is
for any one community to handle.
10000 In Plant
This cordite factory, near the
Scottish border, extends over
nine miles of land which was open
pasture and plowed land three
years ago. Today it is a model
mushroom town. Tho still I'M
completed, a full days sightseeing
fails to uncover all 1t contains of
thrills and interest.
More than $4,000 workers are
now engaged here. The great fac
tory buildings seem erected for
eternity. and the industry is just
beginning to boom, as tho It had
only got started on the job Of
cordite making. And this Is not
a slapped-together boom town,
ugly and dirty, like the mushroom
powder towns / have seen I'm the
States. 1t Is a model village,
where visitors would be quite de-
lighted to settled down for a vaca-
tion-if it weren't for the prox-
unity of nitroglycerine.
Trousered munitionettes,
bewitching In their khaki col
Ored garments, with red
sashes and red hair ribbons
poking out from under tight
little caps, are carrying on
the greater part Of the cor
dite making.
They are quartered in dainty
dormitories. when off duty. A
charming clubhouse has been
erected for them, with library,
dance hall, theater and sewing
rooms. A central kitchen supplies
the entire community. It feeds
5000 of the girls three time a
day. An idea of the size of this
model village is given by the
bakery figures. Over $4,000
pounds Of bread are made daily!
The newspaper tourists we're al
lowed to sample some of the cakes
and cookies and vowed they were
better than any London teashop
serves.
Monster Ship
Down the Clyde we steamed all
one morning, through an astound-
ling avenue of half-built ships.
Mystery ships hidden by canvas,
screened submarines, huge
head. "Is that the reason so many