KRUPPS' WORKS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12084, 13 August 1917, Page 6

KRUPPS' WORKS.

THE FOE'S HUGE ARSENAL. FRANKFORT, Germany (via. Amsterdam). I>r Adolf Ivostcr, the Mar correspondent of the "Frankfurter Zeitung," recently forwarded his paper two lengthy and somewhat technical articles on the Krupp works in war time. Jvrupps in peace time, ho began, was a kingdom of work, a monarchy of a strongly absolutist character * with marked patriarchal traits, exemplary in many things, loved and hated like every powerful tradition. In those days it forged arms not for Germany alone, but its world-wide connections enabled it to achieve the pos'tion in the German economic system that it holds to-day, that of the greatest private industry in the country. That privato industry i.s now employing an army of workmen equal to at least two army corps, and has become half Statecontrolied like every other large concern. While the number of its employees has increased enormously, their quality is naturally different from what ft used to he. The military authorities made heavy calls upon the old staff, especially at first, and women now constitute quito a quarter of th e whole. They are, employed in the counting houses and workshops, and their achievements, especially in the latter, are warmly recognised by the directors.

In addition to the difficulty of securing the necessary labour, there have also been problems connected with tho providing of material at times. JJJerr Koster continued, hut despite all this the output has been maintained, and, what is even more important, its quality has not deteriorated. Krupps, ho went on, always constituted a town of its own in Essen, and during tho war that town has increased on an American scale, and extends far beyond the boundaries of Essen. Many thousands of acres of what hasjiitherto been waste land are to-day covered with iron and glass sheds, red factories and wooden barracks for the thousands of workers who can find no accommodation in the town. Next to tho new buildings'are fresh ones, half finished, and ho soon as a small section is roofed in machines and workpeople invade it. Every hour is valuable. Every single shell more may hasten tho decision. While the politicians talk of peace whole munition towns- are rising up out of the earth here in Essen as in the. rest of Germany. Fresh sheds are for evqfr absorbing fresh batches of workers rendered available by tho Auxiliary Service Act. . Our " Hindenburg programme," said the director, as ho pointed to one such brand-new-shed whence emanated the music of the lathes. One asks oneself with a shake of the head what will become of this colony if peaoo breaks out tomorrow^