The Spectator., 1915-04-27
HOW EXPERTS ID II.
German Administration in Bel gium Model of Efficiency.
Public and Private Activities Are Di- rected by Soldiers Who, in Peace. Are Bankers, Lawyers
 and Scientists.
By OSWALD F. ScAUETTE.

Correspondent Chicago Daily News)
 Brussels, Belgium ad- ministration of the civil affairs of Bel gium presents a new picture of the German reserve officer
 The reserve corps of German off, cers always has been the admiration of the military world No other na tion has been able to call out from civil life an aggregation of men so ef ficiently trained as officers for the vast reserves needed for war. But the military training of these men is only one side of their qualification. In pri vate life they are the learned pro fessional men of the nation. They are the lawyers, the physicians, the bank CTS. the engineers, the directors of big enterprises, the scientists who have given to Germany her peculiar industrial efficiency.
 Now they put on their uniforms and their shoulder straps and march off to the front. But there are many things to be done in war besides leading armies against the enemy Not the least of these is such problem as that of Belgium.
 Here is a nation, of alien race and tongue, bitterly hostile. with indus tries paralyzed another invading power must not only restore peace and order. but call back to life the crippled industrial organization. No merely military organization could do this
 And it is here that your reserve of ficer shines. Governor General von Bissing had only to denote the de- mands of the work to be done and he had the greatest experts of Ger many at his command
 Personal influence has disappeared entirely. Personal gain is not even thought Of. Let us do something of which we shall be proud" said Gen. eral von Bissing And his assistants have been living up to that motto.
 A catalogue of the experts who wear military uniforms while they work out Belgian civil problems would make an American governor jealous. Here is a director of the reichsbank at Berlin-one of the greatest finan- ciers of Germany He is a major of the reserves. but he hangs his sword on coat rack each morning and goes to work with a pen. Major von Lumm is now detailed" as the general com missioner of banking" in Belgium. His first task was to reorganize the whole financial regime of the king dom, found a new national bank and invent a new currency. Mere trifies,
 Then there is Captain von Kessel, who is member of the Prussian house of representatives and famous authority on municipal government and social economies. He is now the adjutant of the military governor of Liege, Lieutenant Colonel von Ren- ner, As such he has worked out the great industrial problems of that big, busy city and has started things to work again, Each day he finds a new way of opening up n factory. Probably more interesting is Cap tain Drape, who was director of the gas works of Lueneburg when the war broke out He was wounded at Liege. When Antwerp was taken he vas hurried there because the water. works had been destroyed in the bonn. bardment, In Ave days he had dug up gu auxiliary pump in some factory and had the system in operation again "a vital matter In city the size of Antwerp.
 Then he went to work on the street ears of Antwerp. In three days he had them running. The same speed nut the gas works and the electric plant in operation. In 14 days he had l9 interurban railroads that center at Antwerp at work.
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