MUNITIONS OF WAR

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2501, 30 June 1915, Page 4

MUNITIONS OF WAR

Sir, —When Mr. Cecil A. Whitney writes about munitions his opinion must receive proper consideration. Tho difficulties he mentions are acknowledged, especially that timo is all important. But to say that we should do instiling because it will take timo is surely a curious attitudo to take up. Unfortunately this war will continue for n lollp| time yet, and it will last longer still if everyone sa.vs ho will do nothing because ho cannot do as much as someone else. As to machinery, it is perfectly well understood that special machinery is required for certain parts of tho manufacture of munitions, but in the making of sliell boclies, the lathe is still the most required machine, and there are plenty of idle lathes in tho Dominion. Mr. Lloyd George has overcome the difficulty about workmen. Tho shops aro working night and day, that is three shifts, which means that at least three times the usual number of workmen are omployod. Now where did these men come from? They cannot all be experts in making munitions, but the great majority will be ordinary mechanics of whom we have hundreds in New Zealand. The men at Home have not taken three months to get into harness. Evidently they are employed at lathes with which they aro familiar, and at fitting which presents lio great difficulty. It appears to me a slur upon our engineers to say they cannot turn out shell bodies and other work of the kind. Australia has started making shell bodies, and are we to stand by and look on with our hands in our pockets and say we cannot do anything m the same line? I always understood the word ''impossible" had been struck out of fhe dictionary years ago by a high military expert. If the Imperial authorities are offered our help in making partly-finished shells from material supplied from Home, and that offer is declined, many in New Zealand will be satisfied; hut until that is done wo shall feel that in this one respect New Zealand has not done all she might.—l <m, etc., E. S. BALDWIN. Wellington, June 29, 1915.