VALUE OF LIGHT GUNS.

Wanganui Herald, Volume L, Issue 14743, 23 October 1915, Page 4

VALUE OF LIGHT GUNS.

RUSSIA'S HANDICAP. General Perrott, a strong advocate of light artillery and machine-guns, has just published the following remarks, considerations on the Russian artillery, and the British industrial effort in the production of munitions; One hears it said t'nat the Russians are , beaten because they have no heavy artillery. -.1 believe the reverse to be the case; it is more the want of light artillery which has been defective to them. At t'ne beginning of the war th eßussians possessed much heavy artillery, as many pieces, of as good a quality and as varied in type, as any other Power. The model of these guns was furnished by Creusot, where half of them were manufactured, and the other half by the Russian factory of Pontiloff, which firm was nearl seuced by ymnpp nearly. secured by Krupp before the war. The Germans’ and Austrians’ metallurgical indltstry is much better developed than that iof Russia., The Austro-uermana have worked. ‘ The industrial power of England is perhaps equal to that of all the allies together. Last September I wrote that England being the richest financially and industrially. she should arm, not only 100.000 Britons a month, as she Had p 100.000 Britons a month, as she had promised, and had done, but also 100,000 Russians. An English Minister said three months ago that although powerful by reason of her' metallurgical industry, England wa« not, in personnel or in material, as well in a position to manufacture guns as France. This may be so; Creusot, for example, had nearly everywhere, except in Chile, supplanted Krupp iu the supply of fieldguns, but it would be inexact to think that England was entirely unprepared.for the construction of guna of small as she manufactured them not only for"\ her army, but also for her navy; now there exists on all the units of her fleet and in large numbers, guns from the smallest to the highest calibre On emay, therefor?, hope that England wil lrapidly be manufacturing, not only a ijiiantity of ammunition but also field-guns, in large numbers. It is a sine °.ua l ngit condition of definite vlctorv. The Oeartnans areoohvinced of ft, and Jt is. th ,erej»vmof their latent* efforts to deal a fiM lbU>w t* the Russian Artyr, la order fcA able ft’fptarn to .F T&oty.