WAR MUNITIONS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 146, 21 June 1915, Page 6

WAR MUNITIONS.

PROBLEM OF THE ALLIES. STREETS OF MACHINERY. " WANT OF SKILLED WORKERS. (By Telegraph.—Special to "Stai.") WELLINGTON, this day.London correspondents of the American Press give prominence to the lack of anl« munition as a crippling factor among the Allies. A representative of Armstrong and Whitworth, the big armament firm, interviewed, said: "At the present moment we are urgently in need of about 2,000 skilled mechanics to operate at full capacity the. machinery now in our plant. We could easily use 6,000 in those portions of the plant devoted to the manufacture of shells. Many of the buildings are apparently working at full pressure, but there are larger buildings which are almost unoccupied, with long streets of machinery not in use.' .

It is explained that since the beginning of the war a considerable quantity of new machinery has been set up to meet the needs of the armies in the field. Large workshops have been erected to house tlus machinery, but| on account of the shortage of labour, it is frequently necessary to divert skilled employees in one building almost completely from one set of machinery to work more urgently needed. Even labour for the installation of new machinery is scarce. One of the new workshops at the Armstrong-Whitworth plant, which wilJ specialise in certain, shells, will require neariy 3,000 hands. The only hope of manning it adequately is that the Government will be able to divert skilled workmen from allied trades in various sections.of the country.