The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-03-04
GENERAL GALL|ENI |S HARD PRESSED Goes to Work at , and Is Never Through at Night FOOLISH QUESTIONS Large Part of His Time Consumed in Answering Interpellations From
 Members of Both
 Chambers
FOOLISH QUESTIONS

1 Paris, February -(Correspondence of the Associated Press )-General Gallieni' g | great vigor and energy are being put
 to severe strain in the war office. He 1 begins work at o'clock in the morning ing his 67 years. but, with all his ap- plication, he finds the days work is never finished when night comes. To say nothing of the responsibility of conducting the French military opera tions, he has to receive frequent visits from a considerable number of the 60I deputies and 300 senators; he has to at- tend meetings of the cabinet, participat- ing in the deliberations of the French war council and of the allies combined war councils he is summoned before the war committee of the chamber and war committee of the Senate two of three times week to give information regard ing the progress of the war; and he has to attend sessions of. the chamber and Senate on every occasion when military questions are discussed, and frequently to reply to one or two interpellations by members.
 FOOLISH QUESTIONS
 All that would be insufficient to ex-
 haust Gallieni's energy, but he has in addition to reply either from the speak eI SldHO III tie CildliDSl Ol tliiON5i the Journal Official to all sorts of ques- tions posed in writing by the members of Parliament. These questions occupy from a dozen pages upwards every day, covering the widest mag ginable range of subjects. The minister of war. of course, does not personally conduct that cor respondence, but since the reply engages his responsibility as minister. he must in each case know that the information is exact.
 You force me to follow profession that is not mine" General Gallien said in a recent debate from the speaker S stand of the chamber in a moment Of pa thetic despair The profession to which he referred was that of debater and of gen. eral intelligence agent for the benefit of the deputies. On single day the minister of war was interrogated nS times. The following specimens give an idea of the range of questions:
 How many buildings were reauisitioned for use as hosiptals before October 1, 1915; how many have been requisitioned since October 1, 1915; how many hotels were there among them?'
 'Why are the daily reports of officers in charge of hospitals sometimes signed by head nurses?'
 A FEW SPECIMENS
 'If such and such paragraph of such and such a section of such and such a chapter of such and such a law was ap- piled in such case; if so; why? If not why not?''
 'Ts it true that in certain hospitals the patients of the same ward are all lowed to take the air only twice a week and in squads of only six at a time, and why?''
 "Why in some sections of the army do men sleep with their clothes on?'' ! Such cases have done more than any thing else to call the attention of the public to the impositions that certain members of Parliament make upon the minister s tinle, 1t has developed de cided current of opinion in favor of meas -tres to putiEa stop to it. One proposi- ton favored by the adjournment of the session by the President under the pow CTS conferred upon him by the constitu- tion of 1875. On the other hand. the so- cialists and republican socialists have proposed the nomination of a permanent commission of A members with power to visit any part of the front and any mili- the front
 1 tary establishment or quarters behind