Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-01-02


Poland "rcmoius as n heritage /" what
ever government ,aKes cnargc. We
have established basis on which
others IN the future can build"
Rl:tuNSTRl CT lNSi'EAktBlN
ntU ROADS ~ POLAND
Something over $l.6oo.O00 has been
expended by tho Germans since their
occupancy Of Poland in rccoTs,ructing
the uuspcakably bad roads tina, crisis
cross the kingdom AT more OF less rare
intervals and which nave been all but
destroyed 10y artillery fire. and by the
transportation Of biz guns. ammuni-
ton and food supplies
For those j.: charge OF the recon
structiou o; connections between the
armies and home the task has grown
with each klomctcr mat the Ger
mans have won from me Russians.
Prior TO the fai g Warsaw there were
approximately l.u,6 <ilomc,crs 6oo
miles, Of roads TO bc repaired. but
when the RuSsiars rctrcatcd 10 Brcst
Litovsk. and then abandoned that for
treSS, the mileage increased To $40
hilometcrs ,2.ic0 milcsp. ana the diff
cultics involved grew greater with each
The Germans found. on their arrival.
\ few so-callcd Imperial roads" which
were. for the most part. strips of sand.
From the inha bitantS-or such CT them
as rcmHiucd-thcv learned that taxes
for The upkecp Of the thoroughfarcs
had been collected over and over. and
never spent for the purpose intended.
y second class OF roads. the co-called
government streets were all but inn
passahlo. and the third variety con,
sisted OF roads that not only were inn
passablc. but impossible. All three
sorts were torn by shells, cut 10y
trenches ana rutted 10y both Russian
and German wagons bound for the
front.
Tho Germans in charge OF road
building claim that they never have
had any word rs 10 the ultimate in
t"mtiuu Of their government with re-
spcct 10 Poland. that their work has
To annex the ancient Kingdom; that the
work. has l,,cH Gone purely as a sort
OF rhilanthropiC measure. and that II
will stand as :; heritage for those who
ilay ~ the future severn Poland.
MORE ihI.tN :u.unn MEN
GIVEN EMPLOYMENT
'Trat il has been thoroughly done.
however. Is attcStcd TO by the fact that
between 10000 and -, 900 laborcrs have
81 POLAND. Most OF these men are
Poles. thrown Oft OF their ordinary
occupations by shortage OF raw ma
tcrials
Throughout the length and breadth
of Poland the sand stretches are he
ing bolstercd up with wood and stone,
and 10000 cubic meters capproNindte-
~ YARDS have been used thus lar in
making passahlc roads, even in dis
tricts where no military need for them
exists.
For instance. a road seventy five Kill
om"tcrs in length has been built TO tho
south of LODI, where there have been
no armies for months. and where there
is II" immediate prospect of "A need
for good roads from n military stand
point. The work continues, ana a
contrast between tho old and new or
dor OF things, easily ohtninabc in the
cours" of u ride outside OF LODI, gives
q glimpse "f the constructive efforts
of tn" Germans.
The Polish population in general has
proven thankful for what has been nc-
complshcd. additionally 80 because
thousands "f it's men ana women have
received employment in the rcconstruc-
ton Of the Polish roads, ana have in
this way been saved from the starva-
ton that Otherwise stared them in the
faco.
1t is peculiar that tho women. rath-
or than tho men, have done tho most
toward rehabilitatin. their own coun-
Try. The women and grown children
have proved themselves Industrious
workers for the reconstruction Of Po-
land, while the men. with few excep-
tons, have had 10 be driven, and have
never overcome their suspicion of the
Germans This suspicion. II is assurn-
ed. is founded on generations Of OK
pericncc of Russian domnatiou The
men. rather than work. offer brides To
the Germans, AS they used 10 offer
them 10 the Russians. and then appear
utterly dunfoundcd when the hribns
are not accepted ana they are confront
cd with the alternative OF working or
starving.