GERMAN ARMAMENTS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 752, 26 February 1910, Page 12

GERMAN ARMAMENTS.

THE KRUPP: RESOURCES. A great deal has recently, been written concerning the resources of the Krupn Company at Essen and elsewhere (writes a 'snecil correspondent. of thfe "Glasgow Herald"). It , has .been asserted' either that the Admiralty did not know of the developments that, were taking place,: or, knowing of them, jhat they did;not.communicate This .knowledge to the. Government,: or otherwise that the., Government did not act .pn' euch. knowledge;: iThis is ■ rather a political way of ■ looking', at things/ Now; in what follows I do. not intend to deal -with the political question at all. Those' who' think they can find political weapons for their armouries in the faots I give .'can take them if they will.' --•• ■ ;;';/7 V-: ■>.;.;• : ' /:'■

"; The. first; point that I should: like to make is that whatever has been'done.-.by the' Krupp Company has been done: because ;of tie' very; special position they hold as monopolists in regard; to.all the armour'-and ordnance'of German' ships' orwar. ' That monopoly has.from,time to time been. tne. subjeot of mnih animad- 1 version in '■ Germany,: and.many': hard things have been said'about it, while" in some quarters there has been : a disposition to deprecate the quality: of. the guns produced; at; Essen. In : this 7 situation of affairs, it .was clearly' the .first .'interest "of the Krupp directors to create .such,re-" sonrcea. that,no probable .demand should Iliid them unable to' ii: If once it were, shown that they' opnld not undertake the .work-demanded, of .them, there.'would Dβ an.end .to the Krupp monopoly. :• ; ■'■'.•..': '.■'.: •::.:;.; :;'■_.:._"■"';. ':/■;■'..'

■Rapid □eyelopmehts. ■■ ;., ;■■• .:'.; ; '.With admirable .enterprise, patriotism, discernment, and .resourced they accordingly ;. determined, that■ nothing ; - of- the Hn'd; should occur;'; They had the Support of the Bmpeior and of the' ruling classes, . and there ' was every incentive to' enter upon' the, eourse"they : have followed with such:vigour and , success; .After: the passing of the Navy' Law; in- 1000, rapid developments began,'and;upon the proposal which ultimately- was embodied- in , -.'the addendum ;of 1906, a large; increase of ■resourcesiwas seen';to be necessary; New capital to.the extent.:of:some ..£2,000,000 ,-was Taised, and has been devoted mainly to Vthe: building; of., new /shops and the laying down:. of, ;much' powerful machinery. There was every encouragement: to. take this step, as; well as every necessity.;. v'.Tho. : Navy : Law: provided a ,nxod: programme,', and the successive addenda of: 1906., and 1308 were', known and .discnssed.long. -bofore -they, were adopted. J-Jiey- were in part merely legalising of; a sechon.of.the.original. programme which the;Government;consented; to- waive in : 1900.. Therefore,,:in the,developments' at Essen;;, and.. elsewhere:.under, the Erupp .Company;.-; and in every German ehipyard,.there:was nothing:that-should have surprised;•:: anyone. , ,;, That the Admiralty' is beyond-all belief. : • That ,nadtaken:place which :every. vigilant per--son anticipated. . The cause was known, and. the ..result-, was) • The surprise .qxpressed :by'.the Government.is another matter , altogether-surprise: probably : bf a' political:order.-:. ■-.'. ■■'-.O?;« ; .-..■•:,„,-.-•■'■, .::.-

I; ~vf:;;;;;.; 'About: : li,;:';".';';;:::: ] ! -\ !■>_ The' development l ,in'the'-.Krupp' estib•lishments~.has been; consistent from ■ the . beginning, : and the company, has never :made 'any : ; secret '.about it.-The- statistics ihey.havejnublished, not.'indeed for, pubho circulafion,, but'; for; the. information of thoso. , interested,.' are: quite:clear, and give- a , precise-.index, to what ! has -been ■!' perhaps ;weV.can...take.; : no. better' guide; than ,a comparison "of ■. the number iOt^oincials, , .;foremen;; and':men'employed at;., successive periods. I-take ithem' on January A, .; 1907, the same date- in-: 1909,: and ,1, 1909,. the. lastvbeihg ,the latest date, for.which they are.avail-' able. ■, It must : be ..premised that not ■ all' ■the m en ; . at ■ Essen : aro: employed' in '■> the" making ■of .war..- material, -for the. .works' .include', vast /resources: for the : production' of. .railway, requirements, - : including iloco-i. motives,-..carriages,. .and - : rolling ■stock' .generally,, as well-as machinery-and' parts .ot;machines for,industrial:purposes; mer■chant ships, motorcars,.road,motore,:and' It must* also be' re--a ■ very large." part ■ of the Jissen works and the proving'ground there'- : a je.devoted to the. production and trial of field, and 'other, guns for 'the: land' service.' In" the following table 'ot numbers' ■ employed,-■;■:the':,:figufes.' for. .'managers, directors,, superintendents, :hca'd:foremen draughtsmen; clerks, .etc., at the '"several; o?tes given are; included; .to., 5739, \ 6493,: ■U74o:— -~,.''- ■::'-■ ". '- ■ ..■: .'■''■','■■;'■' ' ':'*■ ■ ■'!>!': '■' -■ •■ , ;-.: i ;; ;.':;. , ;;Jan.i;'Jani:l;Nov. : l., -Essen^leelWorks^d- 90^^^^ 909 --:

•■_proving grounds;;....■ 35,745 33,917 36,288 Collieries ;i; ; ...;.. ; ....;,.., -9,302;, 9,896 ?10 181 iron,ore mines,-.etc..;. , 4,638. ; ; 4,931 ■>4,699• Iron -works ;on -the '- ■■■•■■ -~:;" •Middle Rhine ..;:.;;.. 'WiGMi-w-^OS , Rotterdam Harbour Vi.v-- • .. 49. '■' - S 'Friedrich Alfred ; Works, t ßheinl!ausen; v 4,3B4'; 5,023 : ' : : 5,398 G^nia"^|;i.;f^;i||r3|^

\ : A.. ; .: : ■■:• - : '.;■:; ■ei.eM;-63,191:'66,363 .. From';these figures it/will -be': seen' that oaring,,the. period: of. two..years 'up to . January, 1,4909,. there .was .a general ■ de-io.^lll-tile number .'of those employed;. At the same, time ■ the number, of officials draughtsmen; and* others was steadily. • This; .was in fact the ■time; of preparation',, during .which ,, the new; plant; was being ,laid dovnv and • the ; expansion of numbers iduring the ensuing ten months, was .made\necessary by thl larger -demands-and increased.reeotirces.:;

.-'•'■'. ',■''. ■; };::y.y'-Vll 1 16re;-P|antr^^''^-:^;:'.;j// : ' wh "vS I^o^steel- : worts-was •built .and. fitted' for the, .production of special steel:for use;for "eleotrio and magnetic purpose. ;In ; addition', to'tiie exist-W^^ore-mines in;-Germany and at »™;*ts -.were taken.over in" Hesse and Waldeck in 1907-08,-' an'd'in the 6ame year a new : trial-ground-'.'for -field and other guns:.was laid.out at Essen..• Plant production andordnance manufacture ilias been .increased! since January .1907. Statistics show that there'.were in all the works last; year act less than 7200 I maohines and..machine. toole l 6f : all,kinds 'and sizes, and'the number ha.-? probably increased during, recent; months. There' are 17 rolling, mills and 166. steam ham'mers (an increase of nine), : with 255,825 kg .; i woight of..tup,:.the.,heaviest .being' of 50,000 kg. There.are: also/21, transmission hammers. An addition,has been;made to the heavy hydraulic 'presses,' which 1 consisted of two bending presses of 7000 tons pressure, each, and' two,forging' presses of 5000 tons and 2000 tons respectively.- To these have".been added.two forging presses of 4000"; tons each and one of 1800 tons. At the same . time.ilathes,.'.boring maohines, aid other'plant for ordnance .work have been added in proportion. -Electric; pow.er . has;, inpreased;.. throughout..' the' worke, and the' current required for electrio motors has' . doubled : during ' two years., In 1898 they numbered 2224, with an aggregate' of.-,' 40,886 horse-power. .The cranes have increased in number from 725 to 909, and in gifting'; capaoity from 7,034,850 kg. to 10,524,300 kg.'.: ... v.,-. ' , .. At the Essen works guns of all'calibres for.naval and military purposes, as well as ammunition, gun: tubes- and armour"plates are.. produced. ■ .The development'may be measured by the fact, that the'.weight, of armour plates.tested on tho trial--gr6und at Meppen' was:. In 1906, 477,300 kg.- in 915,100 kg.';. and in 1908, 940,150 kg. The.Priedrich Alfred Works at Kheinhauson I'riemersbeim produce large quantities of Thomas and'Startin steel, olectrio and bridge work, ofcj and within the last three.years two"new furnaces havo been constructed and the works greatly enlarged. The Annen Works produce castings of Martin steel, turbines, and parts of machinery, etc., for ship work. "The Gruson Works at Madgoburg are chiefly devoted to the production' of armoured turrets and cupolas for fortress and coast defence, and the progressive reduction of the ■ staff there i seems to: show that, the domand for this class of etationary defence is declining, in..the new view ,of strategy that has taken root in Germany, attaching greater importance to weapons and means for mobile defence in \varships and other directions.-. , . ..... ■~' , .-.

Equal .'to All Demands. Tho expansion of resources whioh has beou-sketched is 111 doubt remarkable,and well worthy of investigation.'-' That the

Krupp Works hare. a larger capacity for the production of naval guns and mountings, as has been alleged, there is no reafV- 0 ,-?"!? 6 ' fta s i'-is necessary to think is that they) ore equal to all the demands, that ore likely to lie made for the German Navy, and that there is a large for reserves • of guns, and also for/the requirements of such ships for other navies as may-bo built in Germany, Th e increase is normal in the conditions given, which; makb.it necessary for the Krupp Company to protect their mori--opoly,.and to place' themselves in a position to supply, all the requirements of the barman Navy.- The company would-have been less than wise.if they had failed to provide for the eventualities. That some people seemed' astonished at what has taken place is-surprising. That those whose special business it was to keen watch ..on. these matters were taken by surprise is altogether'incredible. ••■■'"''