ARMAMENT FIRMS.

Press, Volume LI, Issue 15238, 27 March 1915, Page 4

ARMAMENT FIRMS.

TO TIIE EDITOR Ol' "TIIE rill'SS *' Sir.-- Your coiTCt-pondent •FairPlay" is "really very absurd. Tin.*, correspopdenco began over an _ article headed by the editor '•Trade I.monism and Treason." 1 thought the .illcj-ation that trade unionists were guilty ol' trca--.01- too .silly to discuss, when everybody knew that'tho llritish Army -va. lull of trade unionitns; that. in. laet. ii tho trado unionists v.-ere withdrawn from tho Uritish Army. there would ho practical! vno army left. The London •■Tinics" and the. "Daily Mad" have published lists of trade unionists -who havo enlisted. 1 pointed out that real treason of a most dangerous kind existed amo iv- politicians and peers and others (some of■ the clergy*, who had. through tho war trust,-financial interests in German and Austrian armament firms at ■ tho .present moment; and T pointed out that this va« the real reason for Lord Kitchener bringin t: down hi. Defence of the. Realm 15ill to nationalise British arnianient linns Then your correspondent tried to draw the' sectarian rod-herring across tlie scent. Did 1 know how many Anglicans and Nonconformists, etc., ,\*cre interested iv tho war trust. I dismissed that by -saying; that I had not attacked -'Christians'* as -'Christians." Then we had the Socialist redherring drowsed in. and there i** an excursion to the T'nited State., to quoto a. pearl of wisdom that full from tho mouth of ex-President Taft. That, again. w:ts quite irrelevant, hnt. 1 an--wered it patiently ,and quietly by quotihsr ai'i American divine. Now wo have Dr. Max Maurcnbrc-cher quoted, "until recently a prominent Socialist leader.'' It is admitted that ho has '•broken with the Socialist Party, and vet he k quoted to show what SooiaiI ists really think about the war! FinJ ally. 1 am asked if 1 don't think that j many trade unionists would be (inauI cialiy interested in armament, lirm_ if oosses-C-l of sufficient capital. No, I don't. —Your... etc.. 'E..). .toward. Trades Hail. Chii.-tchurch, Maich L'Gth. 191*7. i'Our correspondent and "Faii-Piay" <-nti serve, no useful purpose by disenssin.. armament linns. Tn 1 closing the correspondence, we j should point <"-ut that -inco we j wrote the article referred to it- has i been made abundantly clear that : the worst enemy of the Empire, j and of the cause of liberty, is the ' trade-unionist policy which- cper--1 ates to piwont Critain from putl tins out the :_un- and explosives ' n**"cssarr to 'be victor- of the : Allies.—Ed. "The Press."!