The farmer and mechanic., 1915-06-15
TEUTON SYSTEM COMPL LETE
Soldiers Supplied With Neces-
sites and Luxuries in a Way
Unheard of in Earlier Wars
Hard for Enemy to Recap
ture Land That the Germans
Have Seized
Correspondence of the Associated q
Press

Correspondence of the Associated
Press.
Northern France June 12-In
one-time prosperous and busy city
that now contains almost as many
German soldiers as it does French in
habitants, is one of the Haunt
punkte' or chief points on the re
markable lines of communication
which stretch from Germany to the
front trenches.
Even a casual inspection of this
| INK in the wonderful chain of com
| munlcations reveals one of the reasons
| why Germany is able to contest stub
! bornly every effort of it's opponents to
recapture the territory that has been
| taken, and why its soldiers are pos
| SeSSed OF necessities, and even luXur-
| les. that were unheard of in earlier
| wars.
Various such ''Hauptpunkte" exist
all along the long battle line, and
! from each stretch out fan-shape lines
| to within a short distance of the
| trenches. Along these ribs of the fan
| there are transported daily the enor-
| nous quantities of food, ammunition
and clothing that are needed.
The "Hauptpunkt' may be called
for want Of a better name a division
| lcIS III LIc lines Oh CO1nl1u-
nicatiOn. This headquarters has
roughly, two functions, the preparing
and forwarding of food and ammuni-
| ton and the repairing Of material thai
| has broken down under the strain ol
battle.
In the city recently visited by al
i Associated Press correspondent tn,
German authorities have requisitionet
} the slaughter house of one-tim,
French butcher, and in it are method
P ically preparing the enormous guam
t lities Of meat needed for the army
few miles away.
The cattle are, for the most part
driven in from Germany. For mile
as one approaches the city one cal
see the herds grazing on the ricl
| French fields. BY the time they haV,
! | reached the division headquarter
: | they are fat and sleek.
q The slaughter house, Of course, ha
been found entirely too small for tn
amount of work that has to be don
r | there, especially in that department
: where meat is salted or picked. /
: | default of receptacles therefore th
}, | army has requisitioned bathtubs an
similar inappropriate but useful yes
. | sells and in them lie thousands Q
pounds of meat. A thousand pound
: of wurst day is prepared for tn
> front as we'll as many hundreds {
: pounds Of beef, mutton and pork
Within a hundred Yards Of tn
. slaughter house is the bakery, for
- ,nerly manufacturing establishmeT
whose brick ovens have been foun
to lend themselves very we'll to tn
e baking of 900 loaves Of bread
d day. Each loaf. composed Of one
IS third Of white -four and two-thirt
y. rye -four, weighs 1,500 grams.
r, Build Needed Railroads.
le Where the necessary railroad tract
le did not exist they have been built
that there is easy and efficient raj
~ way connection with these two plan
i that supply the two main food nece
IS Perhaps less important and Wit:
A. but more interesting are the estal
lishments where damaged artille,
and guns are repaired and put I'M
shape for use at the front again.
20 these plants also it has been four
at feasible to employ French civilian
le at many kinds Of work. so that the
r may earn their livelihood be ind
r pendent, and not be a drag upon II
s. German authorities who are suppor
ing many of the city's inhabitants.
t. From all along the front there con
TX to a former machine shop the gul
al | Of all bores that have been put O
of commission in the fighting. Th'
nc come in with damages that in mar
u | cases are quite as freakish as the /
: juries sustained by the soldiers, al
ne are repaired with quite as much /
n | genuity as are seemingly impossb
e. diSa Elements Of the human body.
Nor are the worst damages alWa
the result OF the fire from the 9th
side of the line. Thus there are gu
that have been literally torn apa
of from the explosions of shells prem
mt turely. The damages range fro
nd shattered and twisted wheels and ri
It's died steel shields to worn out Dor
IS and broken muZZleS.
In a carpenter shop French wor