The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1916-03-26
AS The Establishment is Two
Miles Long and Than 1000
Persons Work in II.
tCorrespondence Of Associated Preas.)

Correspondence OF Associated PreHs.)
LONDON, March 26.-Sir Reginald
Brade, secretary OF the war office.
received representative of the Asso-
dated Press, and gave facilities.
through one OF his staff as escort, to
see something OF this huge war
machine In full swing under the
pressure OF one of the greatest wars
With which It has ever had to cope.
It was an experience OF several hours.
exploring the labyrlnths of the vast
institution, fairly vibrating with en-
ergy at every point and yet proceed
Ing with percision and efficiency In
meeting the big part 1t Is taking In
the conduct OF the war.
Some idea Of the immensely of this
war establishment may be had from
the fact that its corridors are two
miles long-a good brisk walk Of
an hour. And along these two miles
1s good-sIzed city Of people. over
1000, engaged in the infinite details
OF this war work. great and small. all
the way from Lord Kitchener. Sec
rotary of state for war. down to boy
scouts and girl messengers. And
this is only Ga central establishment.
for the war exIgencies have even out
grown even this huge building, and
many outside buildings. business
blocks and many other premises have
been taken In as war office branches.
The sudden extension of censoring as
precautIon Of military defense has
called into service large army of
censors, and n number of large bust
ness premises in various quarters
have been acquired for the military
cenSors' branch. Three or four other
branches are at other points. and
practically the whole ordnance
branch has grown into separate gov
eminent department. with n cabinet
minister, Lloyd George, at It's head.
Throbbing Center
Yet the war office still remains the
throbbing center OF the war work;
here the larger questions OF strategy
and the campaigns In various theatres
of the war are worked out: here the
army council and the imperial general
staff, hold their meetings. and here
the many branches of military work
ramlfy from the headquarters of Lord
Kitchener. General Sir w Robertson,
chief of the imperial staff. Lieuten-
ant General Sir II. Sclater. adjutant
general toZthe forces, Lieutenant
General Sir T. Cowans. quartermaster
general, and the two members of
Parliament who representa- the civilian
branch and keep the war branch In
touch with Parliament, Mr.. Tenant.
Parliamentary under secretary for
war, and Mr.. Foster, financial secre-
tary for war, with Sir Reginald Brade
as secretary OF the war office and Of
the war council.
1T is difficult to get into the war
office, and more difficult to get out
like the continental railway system,
Guards turn away I'LL those without
papers from authorized sources, stat
Ing definite purpose for the visit
and a fixed time. Passing this
barrier, ones name and address Is
taken, and permit issued. and the
addresses are always available If
Scotland Yard wishes to investigate
the anticendents of anyone making
unauthorized inquiries.
High Pressure Work
Within the building there is an air
OF work under high pressure and with
rigid military discipline. with many
officers in uniform. old soldiers as
messengers, and the boy scouts and
girl messengers also In uniform, the
girls In brown khaki dress and blouse
with brass buttons and brass device
on the collar.
There are two outstanding figures
OF interest at the war office just now
Lord Kitchener, the supreme head
OF the whole establishment. Lord
Derby, whose scheme for increasing
the army has brought him very much
in the public eye. while across the
road, at the horse guards Is Field
Marshall French. now Lord French
OF Ypres, who az commander of
home defense, Is now directing home
defense in general and the aircraft
defenses In particular. Lord KItch-
ener's windows look out on the busy
traffic OF Whitehall, with the
mounted horse guards across the way,
and the bronze equestrian statue OF
the Duke Of Cambridge. in sweeping
plume and full reEalta of a field
marshall at the entrance. The offices
are stately, with portraits OF dis.
ttnguished war ministers. But under
Kitchener they have taken on an all
Of the camp, with maps all about and
on the walls indicating the campaigns
in many fields of British operation
In Flanders, at Salonika. in Egypt
and Mesopotamta, and of ally oper.
at1ons on the Austro-Itallan front, II
Russia, and other points.
Kitchener Comes and Goes
Lord Kitchener comes and goes
always as soldier, in uniform. He
goes in uniform to Buckingham
palace for his conferences with the
king. and in uniform to the House
OF Lords, where he is a member. to
announce government policies on the
war. His busy hours at headquart-
ers are In the morning and at night
attending war councils. seeing the
chief staff officers and directing
plans. He appears always calm and
unrutfled in the mass of details press
ing from every side. and returns the
salutes Of soldiers along the corridors
with the same Difference they give
him, like Washington, who bowed t.
his servants because he would mo-
permit his subordinates to Guido him
inicourtesy.
Lord Derby's quarters arc accrosl
the corridor, and though he is
civilian and wears no uniform. he Il
surrounded by military staff ant
isSdoing one Of the most importan
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