New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-06-14

utterly impossible to say exactly how
far he succeeded. The censorship has
drawn a tight veil over the numbers
Of the new army. But from informa-
ton and belief | may say that the
British, in proportion TO their popula-
ton, have responded as nobly as did
the North in that period of the Civil
War before the draft came into effect.
And with an inert people like the Brit
ish that is a tremendous piece Of work.
But, after all, the raising Of an army
and its arrangement into companies,
battalions and brigades, is, in man.
ner of speaking, a second class piece OF
work. The world has been raising and
operating armies since the dawn OF his
tory-thc lines are pretty well laid
down. There was another thing to do;
and that was a piece Of first class work.
The conditions of warfare had changed
utterly. The Germans proved that be-
fore September. Once armies alone
fought the war; now whole nations
fight the war. The problem of equip
ment and munitions had become all-im-
portant. Before the Allies had made
good on the Aisne," the Germany army
alone had probably shot off as many
shells as all Christendom ever fired
]
war must organize the whole country
for the production Of munitions, and
| principally of artillery munitions. II
was no longer wholly a soldiers job.
/ II was mainly a manufacturer job.
War Office Bound in Red Tape.
And it must be admitted that Kitch-
ener tackled the job with some fairly
poor material. For years before this
war the British War Office had been a
red tape bound bureau of circumlocu-
/ tion. In departments which had only TO
do with business and which called for
! the highest business talents sat retired
/ colonies retired as colonies because
/ they had not the ability to rise to be
brigadiers, and educated in nothing ex-
cept war. Work in the War Office pro
ceeded in leisurely fashion, with much
signing Of vouchers and counter vouch-
ers, and much delay. The best way, an
outsider would think, would have been
70 clean out all this and replace the
dead timber by some Of the thousands
of great executives in England, who.
too old for military service, were eager
TO do service for the Empire. That, gen
orally speaking, was not done. The War
Office proceeded with what it had.
Muddled jobs and efficient Jobs went
on side by side. In some respects the
subordinates Of the War Office and their
volunteer helpers on the outside did
things wonderfully, and some depart
ments clean out of War Office control
did most wonderfully of all | had oc-
casion, early in the war, to watch the
work with the wounded. Il was mud
died. ! spent most Of the month Of
April with the Red Cross and the Royal
Army Medical Corps in Boulogne and
Northern France. IL was then running
Ike clockwork-l have never seen any
thing better done. This transport OF
troops TO the seat Of war, the transport
OF supplies, has seemed TO go very we'll
In spite Of submarine blockades, not a
troopship nor supply ship has been
sunk by the enemy in the Channel to
date Of writing.
There remained the most vital mat
ter OF all munitions Of war, and espe-
cialiy artillery ammunition. The Ger
mans gained their great initial advan-
tage through the use Of an unheard Of
quantity Of artillery ammunition. From
the FIRST the shrewdest observers Of the
Allies Trophesied that this war would
be won by the side which could manu-
facture the most shells in the shortest
time. France, with that quiet, business
like efficiency which has characterized
the heroine among nations in this war,
proceeded TO get those shells. But
France was a military nation, with the
material and social machinery for
manufacturing shells right AZ hand.
The British had 10 make that machin-
cry. And since September. when Sir
John French began 10 send his appeals
from the line for shells, shells and
still more shells" the government.
through strikes. through charges Of in.
temperance among the workers and
greed among the employers, has been