Government Action in Respect of Engineering Works.
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The Defence of the Realm has necessitated an important extension of the Government's powers in regard to the direction of production. Any engineering (or other) Works which is capable of producing munitions of war and warlike material (such as chemicals) may be taken over and placed under the cOntrol of the State. The previous limit of these war-time powers concerned works which were already engaged upon the production of such supplies. The motor industry will probaby suffer qua output of road vehicles for ordinary sale, and for these reasons. There are works, more especially on the private-car and light-car sides, whiCh, though possessed of the right classes of machine tools, are not yet, in contradistinction from upwards of 20 heavy-motor factories, engaged wholly or almost so upon the manufacture of ambulances, cars, wagons, shell, fuse-caps, parts for small arms, etc., etc. The demands for Belgium, France and Russia have to be considered and their satisfaction accelerated, as well as those of the British Army.
We agree with Mr. Lloyd George when he asserts that the country wants. " Victory as usual " rather than " Btrainess as usnal." The latter cannot be. It never was adopted as our motto, despite the emergency urgings of Ministers, in August last, when any fleeting phrase to reassure the nation se-rved a definite purpose of unasse.ssable value. We preferred to give our adherence. to the admonition that all who read our pages should help to Keep the wheels orindUstry turning." It has been hard enough without the added difficulties which now loom ahead, to live up to that slogan in practical fashion; the occasion for endurance and tenacity on the part of our supporters was properly focussed in the word " Keep." Our remedy—to use smaller and smaller units—has proved sound. We foxsee the virtual absorption of productive capacity throughout the British motor industry, a.nd we fear that the exceptions will be few in number. Steam-vehicle Makers. are to be classed amongst the possible exceptions, and they should benefit accordingly; we have uniformly commended the claims of steam lorries and tractors to our readers. The U.S.A. makers., if they can deliver,, will now liav.e the chance of their lives doubled, and in this prophecy we embrace the battery vehicle. Higher first and working costs must be accepted in days of stress, in those many cases wherethe increases, expressed in pence per vehicle-mile, are insignificant compared with• alternative losses of revenue. The man who can wait for the resumptien of British deliveries is the man who has no occasion to accept an uncertainty which may vary between id. and 3d, per vehicle-mile, according tei size and type of vehicle. • We, in that our advice has until now been, with the single exception of that tendered to char-hbanes owners, to wait for the British maker, have felt constrained to modify it to the foregoing extent. We know that there is nothing in the world to equal the British article, but the use of extensions for manufacture upon which we had relied for relief to .afford some speeding-up of deliveries to commercial bnyers is now threatened with cancellation. 'There Will be,' therefore, no material improvement for the present, and buyers must decide for themselves: Our free " Expert Advice and Opinion " may be had, in reply to any specific questions, by intending purchasers wily) find themselves in a position of doubt as to choice, or in any other quanr)ary.