Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1915-01-08

iividual prowess of French, Russian,
English and German soldiers. This is
well known to military experts. The
difference is mainly a question of dis
cipline. technique and preparedness,
the main factor being, Is indicated,
the ability to throw the greater num-
Der of troops in the shortest possible
time against the enemy at. any given
point, without e~xhausting man and
beast unnecessarily and ~enervating
the country to be traversed. It Is
therefore necessary to have numerous
arteries of traffic at disposal. This
will lead us later to the question of
naturalization, Germany following
closely one of Moltke's axioms:
March separately, but fight con-
jointly" ;
Only in a country where all rail-
roads, highways and waterways, and
where post and telegraph are owned
and controlled by the state is 1t pos
sible to evolve and perfect a system
Of transportation such as is at the
disposal Of the German general staff.
Every mile of German railroads, es-
pecially the ones built within the last
twenty years, has been constructed
mainly for strategical reasons.
Ninety per cent of all the railway
officials are ex-soldiers. Five minutes
after the signing of the mobilization
orders by the emperor the whole of
the railway system is under direct
military control. Specially trained
transportation and railway experts on
the general STAFF take over the direc-
ton Of affairs.
Besides this, there exists In the Ger
mar standing army a number of Eisen-
balm Regimenter (railway corps)-all
trained railroad builders and mechan-
les. Elaborate time tables and trans
portation cards are in readiness to be
put into operation on the instant of
mobilization, superseding the civic
time tables Of peace. theoretically
and practically the schedules are test
ed twice a year during the big maneu-
vers.
Operate Railways From One Room.
The same applies to the waterways
and highroads of the empire. A keen
observer will often wonder at the
broadness, solidness and excellent
state of repair of the chaussees and
country roads, out Of all proportion
to the little traffic passing along. They
are simply strategical arteries kept up
by the state for military purposes. The
heads of the transportation and rail-
way corps in Berlin sit before huge
-glass-covered tables where the whole
of the German railway system to it's
minutest detail is shown In relief, and
by pressing various single buttons
they can conduct an endless chain of
trains to any given point of the en-
pire.
To show the accurate workings Of
this system l shall relate an incident.
During the kaiser maneuvers in West
Prussia a few years ago l happened
to be at headquarters in Berlin deliv-
ering some plans and records of the
English Midland Railway system,
when a general staff officer entered
the signal hall and made inquiries as
to the whereabouts of a certain train
having a regiment on board destined
to a certain part of the maneuver
field. One of the operators, through
the simple manipulation of some ivory
keys in the short space of 21a minutes
las I was keenly Interested | timed
it, could show the exact spot of the
train between two stations, the train
being over 500 kilometers distant from
Berlin.
AS every class AL vessel in the mer-
chant marine Of Germany, especially
the passenger boats of the big steam
ship lines, can be pressed into govern
hicles, taxis and trucks owned either
privately or by corporations be called
upon If considered necessary.
Through this vast and ~far-reaching
system of transportation Germany is
enabled to throw a million fully
equipped men on to either of her from
tiers within 48 hours. She can double
this host in 60 hours more
LIBERALIZATION.
Napoleon's dictum that an army
marches on it's stomach is as true to-
day as 1t was then, adequate provi-
sions for man and beast being the
most important factor in military sci
ence. The economic feeding Of three
quarters of a million men In peace
time is work enough. 1t becomes a
serious problem In the event of war,
especially in a country like Ger
many, which is somewhat dependent
on outside sources for the feeding of
her millions.
The authorities, quite aware of a
possible blocking and consequent
stoppage of imports, have made prepa-
rations with their usual thorough Ger
man completeness. At any given time
there is sufficient foodstuff for man
and beast stored in state storehouses