The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1917-01-02
MANY THOUSAND
GUNS PER WEEK
is GERMAN MARK FOR :
NEXT FOUR MONTHS
These Include All Calibre And
Be Ready For The Spring
Offensive

BERLIN. Jan. 1.--(By wireless To
the Associated Press, via Sayville. y.
N)-Many thousand guns per week
is reported to be the measure OF The
mighty manufacturing effort which
Germany is now making for the cam
paign of 191I---an effort upon which
the entire manhood force of the ma
lion which can be spared from the
front and their regular occupations is
being concentrated under First Quar-.
termaSter General Won Lundendorf'S
universal labor service law.
Counting four months before the
probable renewal of the world war in
full vigOr on all fronts. these figures
mean an new immense supply OF can
non Of all calibres from field guns up
10 the gigantic hOwiizers. 10 meet the
admit edly gigantic effort which the
Entente Allies are expected to make
in this. the third year of kitchenerS
prophecy. to turn The scale OF the WAL.
Along with these guns The German
factories are turning out correspond
ingly stupendous quantities Of ammu-
milton. and the production OF machine
guns. each OF which virtually replaces
a plantoon of men, has been placed on
a scale far beyond that Of the past
year.
The campaign of 1917 will. it is al
ready evident, be fought as wide ex-
tension and"deyelopment Of the Som
me battle. with even heavier con-
centration of artillery over a far wider
front and with lines literally bristling
with machine guns. Confident that
their opponents will be unable to
break through this wall Of steel and
fire is not only expected by the high
or commanders but also is manifested
right down into the ranks Of the COM
mon people.
Skilled Men Brought Back
To produce great masses Of war ma
terial thousands Of skilled men have
been brought and are being brought
back from the front and placed in the
krupp and other munition factories.
These men are replaced in the ranks
by levies set free by the universal Ia
Dor service bill and by widespread
coming out of able-bodied men from
hitherto exempt occupations. Another
expected development of 1917 is q
change in the center of gravity on the
western front. The Somme battle has
swept its way into comparative quiet
ude and while the military experts
here naturally are unable to predict
with certainty the plans Of the Anglo
French leaders, recent adviceS point
TO transfer Of the Entente Allies
main efforts to another region-most
likely that of Verdun where the
French energies recently have been
concentrated on extending to It's orig
inal size the sally port west Of the
Meuse--the most obvious point as that
nearest to the heart OF Germany--for
the effort TO roll back the tide of inva-
sion, or. in case Of minor success. a
point whence operations into the rich
iron fields would be possible.
The military experts here point out
that the employment of British troops
in large numbers at this point Of the
battle line would be hampered by
great unsupported effort. They eX-
press the fullest confidence that with
the balance Of artillery strength fully
restored. AS they expect it 10 be BY
spring. Germany will be able 10 pre-.
vent any serious advance at this
salient.
A Year Of Privations.
The new year. as far as internal
conditions are concerned. will be- a
year Of privations. The increased har-
vest Of grains is Offset by a dsap-
pointing potato crop, so that despite
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