"WHERE THE BULLETS ARE THICKEST."

Auckland Star, Volume XXXI, Issue 104, 3 May 1900, Page 2

"WHERE THE BULLETS ARE THICKEST."

THE COLONIAL AMMUNITION

COMPANY'S WOJiKS.

! AN IMPORTANT INDUSTRY. One effect of the present war has | been to draw public attention to the I matter of colonial defence. That the colonies must be prepared to defend \ themselves against invasion is surely ; apparent to all; and it is equally | evident that no colony can be said to ! be properly prepared which is not in ; a position to supply its defence forces ' with adequate ''munitions of war." Every colony, for instance, should have its own ammunition factory, for in time of war the Motherland i requires all the ammunition her own factories turn out, and there is none Ito spare for the colonies. The in--1 dustry is one which can be carried on perfectly well in the colonies, and l colonial ammunition is at the prei sent Dime being turned out every I whit as good as the imported article. i In proof whereof, one has only to i visit the Colonial Ammunition Company's works, at Mt. Eden, as a re- ■ presentative of this paper did yester- ! day, and he will feel quite satisfied that here we have a local industry fully able to cope with the demands of the colony. A visit to the works is full of in- | terest to the uninitiated, and a brief description of how ammunition is made may not be out of place here. To describe the whole process of cartridge making in detail is out of the question here, as the reader will understand when he learns that to make a single Martini-Enfield cartridge between eighty and ninety : operations are necessary, while a Martini-Henry bullet passes through no less than 143 stages before it reaches completion. Briefly, the process is as follows: —The metal cases of the cartridges are first of all softened in an annealing furnace, built after a plan which the British War Office have recently seen fit to copy. I After the case has been softened, it ! goes through five "draws," or length--1 ening processes, and is then trimmed I twice, to bring it to the regulation length. After the trimming, the case is indented twice at the head, to form the cap-chamber, and is then ready for "heading." The heading machine strikes two holes in the wall of the cap-chamber, to connect the fire of the cap with the cordite in the body of the cartridge. The cartridge case has now to go through what is called a semi-annealing process, whereby it is softened sufficiently to allow it to grip the bullet when the latter is fitted in . After the softening the case is tapered at one end, and then goes to the cap chamber rectifying machine, and the head-turning machine, which latter turns the head of the case to the correct size. The next process is the polishing of the cases, which is done by placing them in too large rotating drums. The cartridge case is now ready to I receive its motive power in the shape of a charge of cordite. First of all, however, the cap is fitted on to the head, and then after various examinations the case passes to the loading department. The cordite is wound | like rope on a drum, which carries 50 or 60 pounds of the explosive. This rope, containing about GO strands of cordite, is fed into a machine in which a circular knife cuts off the exact charge for each cartridge —a quarter of a grain, represented by a little more than half an inch of one strand of cordite. Five per cent, of the cases are weighed on scales in order to test the accuracy of this machine. If there is the least variation from the regulation weight, then ten per cent, are tested, and if more than that percentage is faulty the whole tray of cases—numbering 110 —is thrown out. This will give some idea of the care taken to ensure accuracy in the making of the ammunition. As a matter of fact the cartridge is subjected to stringent test at almost every stage of its manufacture, and if it proves faulty in the least degree, it is at once rejected. After the cordite has been placed in the cartridge a machine fits the small nickel case containing the leaden bullet into the open end or neck of the cartridge, which is then "stabbed," or indented at the neck, so as to hold the bullet firmly in place. Finally the cartridge is "combed" to make it gauge correctly, according to the Imperial standing gauges. The finished article must pass the test of no less than eight gauges, and is also subjected to a surface examination at the packinghouse. The industry is one which requires a great deal of costly machinery, and also skilled labour for the. working of the plant, which requires constant attention. The establishment of the Colonial Ammunition Company in New Zealand has rendered our Government independent of the Old Country in the past; but the company's contract for supplying the defence forces expires next March, and it behoves the Government to look to the future and ensure a constant and adequate j supply of ammunition annually. It is | a Government's business to see that j ihere is an ammunition factory with- j in the colony, .and unless the Am-1 munition Company is bound by contract to supply New Zealand for a! further term,' there is nothing to prevent it withdrawing from the! colony at the end of March. This is a matter which the Government ] should deal with immediately—next 1 session if possible—for unless a new and favourable contract is entered into the company is not likely to continue its operations here. It can hardly be expected to land thousands of pounds worth of plant and j raw material simply on the chance of getting a fresh contract from the Government. All the company asks is that the Government should j guarantee to take two million rounds i per annum "for a fnrtiir term of j seventeen years. Fully that quantity will be required if our volunteer foi-ces are to be increased and the men to be better . trained in rifle shooting—two very necessary measures. T.t is to be hoped the Government will recognise the necessity of taking prompt action in the matter.