Tank Production
The Imperial troops in Libya are now for the first time engaged in a major battle with Germans on land without the disadvantage of _inferior equipment. They have superiority in the air and apparently numerical superiority in tanks, though many of the German tanks are of a more powerful type. But our advantage in Libya is a local one only. Lord Beaverbrook, visiting a number of tank-producing factories at Glasgow last Sunday, in a heart-to-heart talk with shop stewards of the Amalgamated Engineering Union reminded them of what Stalin had told him—that the Germans have 30,000 tanks. That is a very long way beyond what we at present can put in the field. There is much leeway to be made up, both in production for ourselves and for Russia, before we can get level with them, and all the time that we are speeding up our production it must be remem- bered that theirs is making good their losses and increasing their total. Lord Beaverbrook is planning production so that between July, 1942, and July, 1943, our output, with supplies sent us by America, may be at least 30,000. To secure this neces- sary total means continued intensive effort by the workers and —his audience did not hesitate to tell him—by the managements also. It is clear enough that the men have their heart in the work. They know that this war is their war. But to get the best out of them it is necessary also to remove their grievances, and many of these arise from the belief that the management of the factories is not always as efficient as it should be. The Minister of Supply will need all the personal drive which he un- doubtedly possesses to overcome defects in the higher strata of the industry. He assures us that production continues to rise, and he also assures us—which is important—that the increase in tanks is not at the expense of aeroplanes ; competition between different kinds of armament must not be tolerated. It was satisfactory to learn that all that he had promised to Russia up to date had been delivered and that the deliveries are going on.
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