Evening star., 1916-08-16
Japan GREAT AID
TO RUSSIAN ARMIES
Supplies Clothing, Munitions,
Shoes and Other Equipment
to the SIavs.
SUPPLY ROUTES OPEN
AND WITHOUT MENACE
All Sorts Of Guns, From Rifles to
Big Field Pieces, Are
Furnished.
al ~. A.,oc.,t.d pres..

Correspondence Of the Associated Press-
PARIS. August 6-The extent to
which Japan is clothing. shoeing. arm
ing and munitioning the Russian army
was forcibly presented to military
observer who has just returned from a
trip along the Russian front.
81 was astonished," he said. ITO f1nd
great numbers of Russian soldiers
clothed from head to foot in uniforms
made in Japan, not only the tunic and
trousers. but even the legsins. They
carried on their shoulders Japanese
guns. Their cartridge belts were filled
with cartridges made in Japan. Their
leather belts and buckles were from
Japan. And the stout l1ob-nail shoes
they vaa;. are from hides gathered in
Chosen / made into shoes in japan.
So that tiere you see Russian soldier
In Japanese clothes. Japanese shoes.
with Japanese gun, Japanese ammuni-
ton and japanese accouterment
Supplies Russia with Shoes.
TT is strange" he went on. "that
Russia went to war with Japan over
Chosen and now Chosen. the source Of
all the trouble. is supplying Russia
with the shoes in which her soldiers
are marching to victory. Chosen Is q
great grazing country and is proving
a vast reservoir OF raw hides which the
Japanese are rapidly turning into
boots. shoes, saddles and leather fur
nishings."
How did these supplies get from
Japan to the Russian frontr" the OBJ
server was asked.
ut was noted" said he. "that about
the only vital point where the Ger
mans had not been able to send their
East China sea, the Straits of Korea
| and the Sea of japan. These are the
waters separating Japan from Russia
and the Asiatic mainland and the
routes over them. commercial and mil
itary, are open and without menace"
Gets All Sorts Of Supplies.
What sort Of arms and munition is
Russia getting from Japan?" was
asked.
"All Sorts" was the reply, from the
| service rife and small field pieces UP
! to the big twelve-inch guns The Jap
| anese twelve-inch is terrible weapon
and they are content not to make any
Of the fourteen-inch and sixteen-inch
guns: as they consider from a military
standpoint that the immobility Of the
| monster gun offsets its advantages
whereas the twelve-inch gun is a mo
bile gun and very deadly"
1T is said that French and Japanese
officers are now furnishing the expert
direction of the Russian artillery fire
which has made 1t 50 effective. Did you
see any of these off1cersr' was asked
Russ Direct Own Artillery.
mo. and the report is not correct .
said the observer. THE Russian artil-
| lery officers are directing their own
fire. and are getting splendid results
The only Japanese and French offlcers
are those temporarily assigned to ex.
plain the workings of a new piece, Just
| as an expert Is sent along to explain
any complicated piece Of machinery
Japanese experts accompanied the big
twelve-inch Japanese guns, not to man
euver them In action. but to explain
how II was to be maneuvered. That IL
the extent Of their help. and the Rus.
slams should get full credit for wha,
they have accomplished in operating
their artillery. No. the Japanese have
done remarkably in arming, clothing
and munitioning tho Russians. but they
have not had a chance to do the fight
ing"