THE DISASTER AT HALIFAX.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 14473, 7 December 1917, Page 2

THE DISASTER AT HALIFAX.

.News of a startling natures comes to-day from Canada, 'telling of the destruction of a fully-laden, munition ship which was* m collsion with another vessel, the resultant explosion causing, an extensive death roll and- Wrecking a large portion of the town of Halifax, Nova Scotia. 'The disaster doubtless arose through pure misadventure - and is one of those' unfortunate, incidents' that are. to be expected m connection with the ..'Manufacture and "transport of such large supplies of- ammunition as are required for the Allied armies. The wonder is that more explosions of this nature do not occur. As shotrirtg. the extent, of the Canadian muilition industry, General Bertram delivered an address the other day 1 to" the Canadian 4 Society of

Civil Engineers, m which he told', about a. single war industry, the production of shells. Xo less than 400 establishments have been engaged m this activity. They have made 47,500,000 shells, running from 18-pounder up to 9.2 high explosive. The point of this statement of special interest at the moment is the fact that it would take 373 ships carrying 3000 tons each to transport these shells. Here is 1,100,000 tons of shipping more or less easily found l to carry Canadian shells to England. General Bertram says that these munitions alone cost 700,000,000 dollars, aiid required steel enough to build sixty-six battleships of io,ooo tons. He pointed out that this demand led to the establish-, ment of two new 'industries, the refining of copper and spelter. An electric steel plant has also been built, which will soon produce 1000 tons a month for the British Government. Incidentally it was stated tliat 100 aeroplanes are now built iii Canada for the British Government every month, and that this production *vvill soon be doubled. Canada is sending Britain substantial . help, and the loss entailed iii the destruction of the munition ship at Halifax^ though ' it is to bo deplored because of the sacrifice of life aiid property involved, does not mean more tlian a fragmentary interruption to the great supplies tliat are being sent across the Atlantic to enable the guns of the Allied armies to, maintain their ceaseless pounding of the Hun defences.