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Aviation History
1918
1918 - 0093.PDF
JANUARY 24, 1918. Russia from the Entente, the Germans are immediately able to put into line in the West a much greater number of men than the Allied General Staffs had reckoned upon. We and the French have had to detach very considerable bodies of troops to proceed to the assist- ance of our sorely beset ally, Italy. In addition, we still have on our hands three other campaigns of capital magnitude, at Salonica, in Mesopotamia, and in Pale- stine, all of which theatres of war make a steady demand upon our resources in man-power. In order to meet those demands, the War Cabinet is asking for 450,000 men in addition to those provided by the 1918 class of conscripts, who will automatically be called to the colours as they attain military age. As to the necessity of the demand, there is no question at all about that in the minds of those who know the position. When the number of German troops avail- able from the Eastern front is balanced against known wastage of the Allies and the relative position in man-power compared with the figure of twelve months ago, the demands of the War Cabinet seem, if they err at all, to err on the side of moderation. As Mr. Lloyd George told Labour at the end of last week, we have got to find these men or be beaten. It is a case of " go on or go under." This being so, what are we to think of that section of Labour which threatens to " down tools " unless the Bill is withdrawn ; which holds out the threat to stop the essential output of shipping and aircraft in order that young men may remain securely in their well-paid jobs while their fathers and the twice or thrice wounded men are sent into the trenches to fight for them ? We have seen the argument that there is an unfulfilled pledge that the " dilutees " of the en- gineering trades shall be taken for military service before the skilled men are called up. That, to our way of thinking, is mere sophistry. Supposing that pledge does exist, surely Labour and its leaders must realise that these are times in which circumstances alter cases. When it was given there was no thought in the minds of the Government that it would be necessary to proceed to extreme measures in the matter of man- power. The Russian revolution and its dire conse- quences had not materialised. Italy was not only holding her own, but was actually on the eve of em- barking on an offensive which promised the most far- reaching results—and well-nigh achieved them. RIGHT I Surely it is obvious that this is not time for hair- splitting, but for every man of military age and physical fitness to come forward and do his plain duty to the State willingly and without compul- sion. There is a section of opinion—and thinking opinion at that—which believes that there is only one possible obstacle to victory. It believes that we shall Avin the war and secure the kind of peace we set out to obtain—if Labour does not let us down. For our own part, while we recognise that it is within the power of Labour to stultify all the efforts for victory which have been put forth by every class in the Empire, we have never believed that there was the remotest possibility of Labour turning traitor to the cause of freedom by refusing to do its plain duty. Nor do we think now that Labour as a whole is less patriotic than any other class of the community, or that we are likely to lose the war as a result of a wholesale betrayal of our cause by the workers. But unless there is an alteration in the attitude of certain sections of Labour vis-a-vis this question of military service we shall have to revise our articles of faith and that we should be loth to do without the clearest cause and justification. . Over and above the threats to strike, there are ugly stories about of attempts to stir up trouble in munition factories. These can be traced to the same root cause of desire to remain in well-paid employment rather than to face the risks of the trenches. We should hesitate to think, as some do, that German propaganda and German money is at the back of some of the trouble, but we do say that if that opinion is held the f omenters of trouble have only themselves and their methods to thank for it. Nothing has pleased us more than to hear that the Government is resolved to take the most extreme measures to put down all such attempts to retard the production of aircraft, munitions and ships. Whatever those measures may be, the Govern- ment will have the whole mass of decent public opinion, including 90 per cent, of Labour, behind its action. It may be that by the time these lines appear in print the Amalgamated Society of Engineers will have realised that, in the words of the Minister of National Service, persistence in their attitude will be met with such a blast of hatred and contempt as will surprise them. We trust it may be so, and that wiser counsels will prevail. BACK of the beating hammer By which the steel is wrought. Back of the workshop's clamour The seeker may find the Thought; The Thought that is ever master Of iron and steam and steel, That rises above disaster And tramples it under heel 1 The drudge may fret and tinker Or labour with lusty blows, But back of him stands the Thinker, The clear-eyed man who knows ; For into each plough or sabre. Each piece and part and whole, Must to the brains of Labour Which gives the work a soul ! Searchlight Practice. THE following official statement was issued on January Although searchlight practice usually takes place for half-an-hour immediately after dark, it is often necessary.for various reasons, to exercise the lights at other times. The public MAN POWER. Back of the motor's humming, Back of the belts that sing, Back of the hammer's drumming. Back of the cranes that swing, There is the eye which scans them, Watching through stress and strain, There is the mind which plans them— .:'.„• j: Back of the brawn, the brain! Might of the roaring boiler, Force of the engine's thrust, Strength of the sweating toiler, Greatly in those we trust ; But back of them stands the schemer, The thinker that drives things through ; Back of the job—the Dreamer, Who's making the dream come true ! (From the American Machinist.)m m should not assume, therefore, that a raid is taking place because the lights are showing at an unusual hour. It is desirable that the police warning should be relied upon to give notice of a pressing danger, and that people should not put themselves to unnecessary inconvenience by taking cover without sufficient cause." iQ F2
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