Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1916-01-05
GERMANS MANAGE
ARMY AFFAIRS ON
BUSINESS BASIS
Administrative Ability of Kai-
ser's Forces Shown by the
Manner in Which Captured
Towns Are Ruled by Officers
Associated Press correspondence.)


management of large business. The
officers are branch managers whom
convention and necessity has stuck
uniforms. and the private soldiers
take the place Of employees about the
office. For their stereotyped garf
there is no better reason than that
comhatants, according to military law
must indicate their status by distinct
i've dress Beyond that general
headquarters Is not military institu-
ton in the popular conception of that
term. It is purely an administrative
office constantly organizing and reor-
ganizing.
war on q scale as the European
struggle has reached becomes, by the
huge demands it makes. by the pres.
sure it exerts upon particular individ-
uals, and by the recurrence OF the
necessity for doing certain thing,
a business Even the head Of the
group, the commander, the tactician
and strategist, Is again and again con-
fronted with the same demands of the
military situation. there are times
when he must leave minor tactical de-
tails to his staff officers, and all
phases OF his work which recur too
often and are, therefore, commonest,
he must leave in the hands of sub
ordinates altogether. General head
quarters Is, in other words an aggre-
gate of trained managers and work.
ers. which could successfully run any
enterprise, and which, by virtue OF
its discipline among all concerned,
would be dangerous competitor to
civilian organization in the same
field.
No Friction Apparent.
Such is the impression one gains at
the general headquarters of Field
Marshal Won Mackensen, presiding
genius of the Austro- Hungarian-Ger-
man forces in Serbia. In this estab-
lishment everything moves nojselessly,
frictionless, positively, al speed
which is not expressed in revolutions
of machinery, but in the pulsebeats
of a great expansion seeking, and
seemingly inexhaustible force
Thee haracter of any army is best
judged by conditions prevailing at
base headquarters. The Associated
Pressco respondent spent two hours
at the one in question. The captain
in charge. Il young man Of about SO,
presided in an inner office. Several
commissioned officers sat at Ia
bles In an outer room. Officers and
men came for this and that, usually
addressing Il sergeant. The brusque
demeanor towards subordinates with
which the German officer has been
associated was wholly absent. Sever
al officers wanted wheel transporta-
ton
sorry, sir! None available at this
moment" the sergeant would say.
This attitude took the case out of the
sergeant's hands. just then the base
commander entered the outer loom.
The officer turned to him with an in
PRODUCTION of himself by himself and
a vigorous clack of his heels
Very sorry Have no wagons here
Just now said tire base chief in al
friendly tone which for all OF its
warmth told the other that the infor-
nation given by the sergeant should
have sufficed
Details Looked After.
A major entered He had been sent
from Berlin to superntcnd the har-
vest of the grapes which were on the
verge of rotting on the hillsides, but
whose Juice would be welcome to the
that he had caused n large and suit |
able cellar to be cleared for the bar
rels in which the juice was to be
stored. During the night cavalry
organization chad needed shelter for
its horses and had used the cellar for |
this purpose. The major was indig- |
nant.
THAT Will happen said the cap 7
tain. Get the station cleaned again /
and then Wen station a guard there
The incident was settled. But the
major had more trouble. He did not
have men enough To gather the
grapes and what men he had We're
none too proficient.
Very we'll We can fix that. ASK
Berlin TO send you hundred or so
Of landsturm men from some town in
The Palatinate or along The Rhine.
They would enjoy the trip.
The major said he would and cft
FULLY satisfied
The campaign in Serbia had been
llsagreeable enough TO have soured
he disposition Of anybody. Rains
nave fallen constantly. and men fig
IRE no longer ON the absence of mud,
out on how little there is Everybody
'eJoices when mud is only ankle-deep,
md roads are called bad only when
he slush runs into the top-boots from
Iboye.
Mud Gets Attention.
Conversation at table started and
'nded with mud A train officer
NEW his business in coping with the
hiek. adhesive erblan 'gumbo' to the
asst detail. Somebody wanted to
tnow Of why oxen were better than
lorses as draught animals on muddy
Dads. The questioner was a guard
'avalry officer and inwardly resented I
he sighting tone with which the
train" spoke of horses.
Simple" explained the train Off {
er. Due to the construction OF the {
loofs of both animals. When the
lorse steps into stiff mud, its hoof re- !
Mains as big when il is pulled out as J
was when set down. The mud.
meanwhile! has closed over the hoof. I
nd every time the animal must ex- |
IT pun of about five Kilograms Go
hs.l 10 get its foot out With the OK |
is different. because the hoof, being !
loven. opens on the downward mo-
ion and closes on the upward motion
is smaller when pulled out than II
vas when set down. In addition the
Weight Of the body il better distrib-
ted IN the OK. a
The officer had never before moved /
nNihlng bs the means Of oxen Hut !
few days contact with the animal {
ad made him theoretically and prac-
raliy an expert IN thu handling 81 i
OK trains IS
Away from their duties the German
lldiers proved Most agreeable COM
Unions men Who could land and ac-
% q l1ks Earn the older men took A
D almost h0yish Interest ii the witt !
Nd dHiHaffd conversation IT their