BRITAIN'S ACHIEVEMENTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17069, 30 July 1917, Page 5

BRITAIN'S ACHIEVEMENTS

ADDRESS TO JOURNALISTS. PRIME MINISTER OPTIMISTIC. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. PAPJS, July 28. (Received July 29, at 5.5 p.m.) Mr Lloyd George, in addressing a gathering of journalists, outlined Britain's efforts on behalf of the Alliance. At the start of the War the Kaiser referred to the contemptible British Army, but we had raised half a million sailors and 5,500,000 soldiers. He paid a tribute to the help which the American Navy had given in the shape of fast destroyers and organising convoys. Britain was showing activity in building merchant ships to replace those destroyed. The programme for 1918 comprised 4,000,000 tons, instead of 2,000,000 tons built in a good year in peace time. He emphasised the fact that, apart from the 5,500,000 men raised in Britain, about 1,000,000 had responded to the Mother Country's call from the dominions and colonies. These figures were astounding when they considered that, in conjunction with the British position as a great transporter and purveyor to the Allies, 1,000,000 Britishers were engaged in coalmining. Apart from the production of food, the only labour permitted in Britain to-day was labour of national importance for the war. He could state quite definitely that Britain could not be starved into submission, and the submarine warfare could not put her out of business.