The sun., 1918-04-26
GREAT MUNITI0N
RESERVE AMPLE
FOR THE ALLIES
Shell and Gun Losses in
Present Battle More Than
Made Good.
READY FOR LONG FIGHT
Nearly Thousand Cannon and
Vast Stores Of Small Arms
Sacrificed.
FOR LONG FIGHT

LONDON. April 25.--winston Spencer
Churchill. introducing In the House Of
Commons to-day the estimates for the
Ministry Of Munitions. OF which he Is
the head. said that during the nve weeks
since the battle In France had opened
that body had been passing through the
greatest strain regarding the supply OF
war material that had occurred in the
experience of the Ministry.
Not only had tho consumption and
destruction Of munitions Of all kinds
been proceeding at tn. greatest rate bu.
there also were very heavy losses
through capture by the enemy.
we lost" the Minister said, nearly
a thousand guns by she'll fire or capture :;
between 1000 and 5000 machine guns
have been lost or destroyed and tho
quantity OF ammunition. apart from
that which has been fred and that
which has been loHt In the dumps.
amounted to something between one and
three weeks total OF manufacture.
All Losses Maas Coed.
"Other war materials have been used
or lost In a great variety OF classes and
on . similar scale. but by the end Of
last week all the losSes had been made
gooS. ana Ia many ess's more 'han
vast quantities OF small arm ammu.
milton have been lost or left behind. but
great A. the demand has been the ex-
penditure In the last month did not ex-
ceed tho maximum potential capacity
Of the British factories, without touching
enormous reserves which had accumu-
lated against such a contingency. The
wastage OF rifles was very great, but
the losses were quite easily and promptly
made good.
Our preparations had contemplated
a period Of supreme battle intensity from
the third week Of February instead OF
from the third week Of March. so we
are at present from one to three weeks
to the good. Those calculations allowed
the artillery to nre during the whole
fighting season a considerably heavier
volume Of shells than was expended
weekly during the offensive battles OF
last year and more than double the vol.
ume Of shells fred during the terrific
bombardment which characterized the
Sonme offensive Of 1915. They also pro.
vided for the carrying forward into 1919
Of sufficient reserves to allow the Brit
ish total to mount one step higher then
In power and intensity.
I'm fact, barring unforeseen SArcum-
stances. our supply Of munitions would
enable US to carry on a battle at the
supreme pitch Of intensity until winter
without compromising our requirement
for 1919. This is despite the fact that
100 900 ruen were taken from munitlon
factories for service in the army"
Accept Reduction In Tonnage.
Mr. Churchill said that owing to the
tonnage required for Importation to this
country, coal to France and Italy and
the assistance which England had "a
give for the transportation o! the Amer
lean army he had to accept a consider
able reduction in the tonnage budget
upon which he had hoped TO build his
plans. But ne added: 'Enoushs as
good as a feast"
He paid tribute to th" workers, say.
Ing that latteriy less than one-rixth the
total OF the time worked had been los,
through labor diSutes. while labor dur.
ing the Easter holidays had more thar
wiped this out. Another explanation OF
| the Ministrys success was that more
| were employed In the munitions fac
tories. More than nine-tenths Of ths
whole manufacture OF shells was due &c
the labor OF women who before the wal
had never seen lathe.
! While every demand for steel plate
! had been met. the Minister hoped thi'
Continued on Second P0Oe