Arizona republican., 1917-02-03

steel beams. steel rails and all kinds of machinery as we'll as the infinite variety of small metal goods usually exported. by England.
 The number of people employ ed in this one industry of gun and shelf making is large percentage of the total British working population. The entire membership of all the trades unions last year was about five mil liO1S while those now working in gun and shell making is two and a quarter millions. or almost half of the full trade union strength. Wlich includes about half 6f all the wage -earners. Before the war there were about 50.- 0O9 unionist workers in all the vari- ous metal trades which is only one fourth the number of those now em- JlOyed in the single industry of mak- ing guns and shells.
 The extent 10 which this gun and shell output has grown is shown by the figures given at the ministry O. munitions. The comparison is made between June. 1915. when the war had just got under way. and the produc- tion today For every heavy hoWitzei produced then. there are 323 produced now. For every field hotizeT produced .hcn there are 466 produced now; for E |. rfe output of 60-pounders and 6-inch guns went un K fold. and has now lr9pped back to r fold. SIS the supply is too great As a whole the produc ton lf guns of all calibre has in- creased 4l fold on those of medium weight, and r. fold on the heavier guns, There is the same remarka ble expansion in the output Oi all the other various types of ammunition. machine guns, explosives, etc.
 About the only exception is in small arms, as the increase Of regrlatiou rifles is particularly difficult and has not much more than doubled since the war began. The shell production. however, has taken such a leap that the production for heavy guns in a single day equals the entire years production during the first year of the war; and on prOjectiles for field lowtizers and 75 nm guns the week ly output now equals the whole years output during the first year of the war. In single week recently, from November l9 to 26. the shell output was 30 per cent greater than the entire reserve stock of ammunition held at the outbreak of the war.
 IL is because this high-w water mark in the output of ammunition has been
 
 now being given to gradually divert ing labor 10 other lines so that the trade and export war may be carried n. This is the reason for the crea- lion of a now member of the ministry, Neville Chamberlain. as director Of service. MT. Chamberlains chief du- ties are to divide occupations into essentials" and essentials" and 70 gradually divert labor from the 1on- essential industries turning out iuXuries, to the essential industries which turn ont those articles on which in normal times.
 At the board of trade the returns show that the scale is already turn ing favorably, and that exports are steadily increasing and the heavy trade balance against England steadi- " going down. Last year, as shown by the returns Up to Jan. 1. last, the exports totallcd 506, ,546,2l2 pounds. ar increase of 121, ,000,0G0 pounds over the previous year. or 21 per cent Yet practically all this increase was on cotton, linen, and jute piece goods. which do not go to American in large quantities., SO that the trade balance is offset chiefly in other countries than An!erica. On practically all the articles usually sent to America the exports kept steadily dropping off last year. This is what has given point to the present movement to concentrate al; attention on essential industries, and take advantage O. the turning point which has now been reached in the supply of ammunition