The Ensign. THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 1916. BRITAIN AND MUNITIONS.

Mataura Ensign, 13 January 1916, Page 4

The Ensign. THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 1916. BRITAIN AND MUNITIONS.

The keeping up of ilie supply of iinmiiions- for life Army and for those of her Allies is tin- great Uisk that .irrat. Briiain, lias sot herself', reeogai*ing that iinuiit ions are becoming nore t'lian ever tin- key of tile <-am•,>aign. ."The biggest, engineering feat il'ier the I'anama Canal," were the words by ;i shrewd American journalist after a persona] invostiirai.ion of the munition lactone* of the country and summing up the achiovclieiu of Hi. iHiiii, 1). l.loyd George in •onvertiug Great Britain into one vastiiseiial. This coin eivMon lias com-

m'sed the enlisiiiijr of 1.700 Jirn.H and factories for the work of munitions uaking, the erection oi scores of new laotorios, the provision of new machine:* md of materials on a scale unprecedented in British history, and the recruiting and training <>f more than V million munition workers, with ar•atigements, in many for their lousing, feeding, and transport, Kach of these things individually was a huge ask, but taken collectively they conititjiie a tremendous engineering iclnovomont. Men have thought nothing of working IS hours a day for seven days a week. The energy of the i'yjitiling work of the .Ministry of Mutinous- will rank as one of tlie groat,>.Kt. romances of this war. Certain it is thai no British Government enterprise was ■ over conducted with such '•push ami -go" and successful daring. Too Department of Munitions of War, diankis to Mr Lloyd George, litis been ,t business concern from the -tart. The Minister began by considering what was the job to bo done and who wore the best men able to do it. Ho obtained those men. Thoy wtnv men -scattered wide over the groat business undertakings of the kingdom. They wore in

railways, shipping, ironworks, and kvi'l'vh litre ; a few in 111 *» Government service. Some of them had prices on ibeir serivocs ranging nj> to C*iO,(K!o a year. Hut they were the men lie needed, and lie got them. Some h'o> paid, but the more expensive he bogged or borrowed. Next he iniliued them with his own wonderful enthusiasm. Titev took up the eause in hand and made it (heir own. His next departure from Gcvermiieiit"! preei 11«*111. was to Kcrar> "mi tape." The Doartmo-fs ; ")' his Ministry are not known hy letter.- "and iniiiiliers: hue Inplain names tiiat a business man, oat) understand. He created a business atmosphere in which his men of busine.-, could work J'reelv. 'ljn'n he pave ihese men power. Those men. who kijen how to get things done and who have been used in their private business eapacii ies io yelling; tliiii'.'.s done, were (old to go ahead and "cr thioi.s done for [lie country. Detail was hi';. :o tliem. outlines of plans were la'.'elv left to them; i he only thin*/ -lipulaled upon being the ii' nil-. Tlios" must be a guarantee. A a -result till these ■T:lif<> engineer- and business men after •diorf consultations on general methods and re'iiiiroiuenl < went about work for Lhe (Government jusf as thev would have gone about it for their own > drins or t heniselvos ; in fact, more earnestly. There are men. paid and un- , naid, I'ow working for Mr l.loyd Ceei".> and the country in (be .provision 'f munitions who avow that never in th'ir lives have they worked so liard for themselves or for nrybndy cKe. Thev. feel they are trusted; (hey feel it is' »i;>> io th.ein io acliieve ro'iilts and ins-' tify that trust. Anil, inoidonfalLv, thev .are now pitted in friendly' rivalrv with professional friends —id! vvor'kino- for one foinmon end—munition*. Writing on

tliis-'siiljj'Prt" n' journalist wlio' recently iourc<l the. munition lactones states: ••J.[ is oniy Litii- to say tluvt virtually r-vovx rneonatiical engineer and every firm of runc of the country has boon recruited io Mr Lloyd (ieorge'.-; Hag. and all are giving of ihoir best. Ir those men an 1 noi at Ihe Ministry ir>=olf they ait' helping things in tho local munition com miltors or directingthings, in their own workshops, whoreiii' every owner or manager is left free to use liis own ability and methods provided liis. results are—-munitions of tin 1 required kind in quantities considered as sufficient output .for his shop'. •How successful are the results oj' this business control of so vast an uiiderlakin»; one must see ihe present output of munitions to realise fully." Enough io say that there is not an authority who is dissatisfied with the results ami who does not consider (he munitions problem solved, thanks to Mr 'Lloyd ii'i'orffc, his method-, and his helpers.