Norwich bulletin., 1915-09-17
Confident Of Success.

Senator Charles Humbert, one OF
the leading members Of tho French
senate committee on military affairs
has written for The Associated Pres
the subjoined article on the relation
of industry to the war. Senator Hum
bert has been conducting the sue
| cessfal campaign for the high pres
sure production by the whole indus
| trial resources of France of the shells
and guns which he and his colleagues
consider essential to victory. He is
the new proprietor of LIE Journal with
q circulation of about one million.
Senator Humbert writes:
THE important part played by in
dustry in the present war Is due not
| only to the power and the perfection
of firearms, but more to the immense
number OF men in line. These mil
lions Of combatants would be nothing
more than a mob predestined to mas
sacre without the tools Of combat
which must necessarily be supplied
and renewed, and which, for their
| manufacture in sufficient quantities,
require the mobilization of numerous
factories provided with the means of
| turning out the most modern instru-
ments Of war.
Long before the war it could be
| seen what character the hostilities
| would take on. Personally / predict
ed It. The Germans, especially, were
very well aware of 1t. and Il is only
necessary to think for a moment Of
| made to realize that they could put at
the service Of their warlike intentions
a military machinery ready to its last
4 detail. The work they have done of
recent years to renew their artillery
| and to supply their armies with
/ heavy, long range guns, sufficiently
| wieldy to be able to follow the move
ments of their troops. was most sig
nificant. / regret very deeply that
my own country, in spite Of oft re-
peated warnings, did not follow their
example, And yet it ought to have
been pretty evident that in this CEN
fury of scientific progress OF machin-
cry to the limit supplies would play
in war part as important as they
play in the economic life Of every
day.
But the actual experience of war
has gone far beyond any foresight for
1t. The destructive power of the fire.
arms-rifles. machine guns, rapid fire
guns of all callibres-has been so re-
-uf1h. Dwo srHrchingFWY YP PIP PIP
tvealed on the field of battle that the
combatants have had to renounce
completely the system of manoeuvring
in open country. Every troop which
attempts to advance in the open
against a well armed enemy awaiting
the attack is doomed fatally to dis
i dSlCIp III an ln6IAuL the ire Oh ma
chine guns mows down the ranks like
a blade Of steel moving down grain;
and the volleys Of artillery method.
ically annihilates them, letting moth
ing escape.
THAT is the reason for the necessity
for seeking protection. as much al
may be, against these storms of stee
and explosives; IL is the reason fol
tho enormous development of field
Notifications, trenches, underground
chambers, redoubtE. concealed shelter:
and so on. The old Notifications o.
other times, fixed. standing out, mark.
ed In advance for the fire Of the enc
} my's artillery, cannot hold out agains
J the proJectIles Of giant cannon. Blu
the plain ditch. scarcely yard Of
two wide. easily dug. completed Will
invisible arrangements, the approach
. to which Is made impracticable b,
means of barbed wire arrangements
that constitutes an obstacle a1mos
impossible to be taken. Infantry, hop
. ing to take It at q charge, will leav,
before such an obstacle every man
thoWh they be innumerable-for on,
, machine gun. give 1t time and SUN
! cient to feed it. Will, NOW down {
thousand men as easily as hundred
and ten thousand. II necessary, a
easily as O thousand.
But. on the other hand, this thread
like obstacle. dug in the ground. fur
, nishes only a very reduced target 10
I artillery fire. TO hit &c. It % no
{ enough simply to spend project les-
they have got to be wasted TO demoi
ish the terrain under q veritahle hel
Of devastating explosives. under
: deiuge Of shrapneL
! That Ia why the Consumption o
munitions. and especially artillery mu
nftions. has exceeded anything thu
3 was ever conceived in time OF peace
] And the farther II goes. as the forth