FRANCE'S SHELL CHIEF.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11479, 30 August 1915, Page 4

FRANCE'S SHELL CHIEF.

THE MAN AND HIS METHOD. A THRIEFOLD SYSTEM. [ Now llsai. ilio period of rcmvianisiiliou Jul 11 jo produciU/u or imiuiuons is v.cll | a<lvinn-od. Ixitli iii. Fraiu-.' and CJi-pat : .liriiaiii, it >. onrourayii"; to ka that ! i.:;.c!i country ha.:; a o|Mn,on ol ; j tlio othor';-. «'fi'orts 3!r G. "Ward | Pi-ice, ili iiio "IXuly Mail ")• Mr/ i Lloyd baa putilicly his | atiioiraxion of the thoroudmoss of the j stops tiKon by FniiK'o to rain l her ont- ! l>ut. to ilie liightc.-i possibb' <lej»;rof, and I of tin.', and resource broiigkt to ' ; that work by ] r roncb rndci'-Secro- : iai\v of State, 3f. Albert Thomas. In ! Fn.aco eoiilicletn:e is e((unlly strong in I 1.1 u> iii)i'i;ei.i«o v<i]t:w\r.y of Great Britain! J for tlio liianufiK'ture of shells. '■ it- is a curious, o.oineidonee tliat it)) ;I);ith eoimtries. the vital of s-uper- | the supply of mat-eriids oP . ' \va> ff-hould be confided to men whoi i liavo not a little reseiublanec witli each. ' | other. Tioth M. Albert Thomas and; ! .Mr Lloyd George are of fbillie blood. [ both men of the people, v. hose politi-. , |<'al viev.fi are the views of the pcopb: ; ' liotii men of considerable personal ' olmrin of manner: both men who hiivo ; been "discovered'' by the war. , ! T had the opportunity- the other ew.n- , \ imi of asking M. Thomas what iin- | prcs&ion lie bad brought b-iek from his;. recent meeting, with Mr Lloyd George at Boulogne. His amswer was the more mLsstir'ng in. that it was not. eliarac- ! tensed by hc-itation to refer to the uni • doubted delays that have taken place • l in the organisation of the munitions , | ontrmt in England. "' England bWan late, but I thini she i j ha.s begun well."' said M. Thomas. j "With her vast ret;ourees she ought 1 ' soon to ontn'H'p us, and the manuf'i''- • j ture of sbidh is a form of competi- • I tion in which T sincerely hope that '• | wo shall indeed be surpassed as snoi ' j as p"^ ; hle. The capacity of England' - for shell-mnkb'i i s clearly far greater' " than thai of France, br "eason of ber - more industrial i i ('"on. nnd throiitrh tlie t'->et that the i | eniof m'oi'-ijr and manufftcturi'ig d l '*- ' | triet. of Fi"i'm.a is u'lfortnuatelv rtl" 1 )" :' 'in the oe<unation of f lie e_"emy. and 1 . its resources serve him instead <rf ! US." " TRIBUTE TO MR LLOYD GEORGE. i ""What do you think of Mr Lloyd . Georger' 1 asked the. Minis.tor. i "Ah, Mr Lloyd George,' 3 said the > Secretary of State, his bearded fa<*. - smilmg, *"he is ciiamiiug. touch ability; , such insight, and intuition ; such a de- ' lightful personality, i. only wisli I had ' the opportunity of bearing public te*ti- ; niony to the regard a,n<l estx j em with ■ which my acquaintance with Mr Lloyd '. Georce has inspired me,' 5 The system that the French Minister I of Munitions has organised is threefold. First there is the technical ' branch, composed of three officers wJio have, been brought back from the front ■ with actual experience of the present war. They are charged with examm- • ing new ideas and devices. The second department is th» i industrial branch. It is occupied with coordinating offers of help from manufacturers, with the creation or the ad,aptatbm'of factories and their equipment. A former workman has been placed_ by . M. Thomas at the head of this service, a man who rose from the ranks by per- ; sonal merit. The department has before if already more than 1000 offers of assistance 'made by manufacturers . to the State. The third branch of the new Ministry deals with the workman. It is under the charee of a military officer, and handles questions of labour, keeping j tallv of the workmen, and controlling the'draft : ne of them to different factories. The workmen continue to hj?. under military discipline. As M. Thomas sa.vs :" " Tb-re cannot be two kinds of treatment for Frenchmen. All arc combatants."