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24
BRITISH EMPIRE AT WAR
when armament firms are short of the necessary plant. It is unfortunately a fact that the Army during the first year of the war suffered from shortage of all kinds of munitions, which fact led to the setting up of a Ministry of Munitions in June 1915. The Ministry of Munitions, although it has been in existence only fifteen months, has on its Central Staff over 5000 persons, and controls an expenditure of over $5,000,000 a day. There are now 95 national factories working for land service, nearly all of which have been planned, built, and are operated by the Ministry of Munitions; and 4319 firms working upon war material are controlled by this Ministry.
