Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1917-10-08
Letters Taken From Ger
man Prisoners Show New
Orders Have Been Issued
to Commanders.
Conservation of Man Power
as Well as Material Or
dered for First Time
Bears Out Statements of
Heavy Losses.
BY HENRY WOOD.

Omitted Press Staff Correspondent)
With the French Armies in the Field,
Oct. S.-Germanys military chiefs for
the first time in the war are begin
ming TO talk about economizing the ma
tion's human material"
German army orders signed by Quar-
termaster General Ludendorff, have re-
Gently been taken from prisoners. en-
phasizing the need for this economy.
Heretofore, economy orders" cap
tured on prisoners dealt only with the
Importance of not wasting shells mu-
nitions and other material supplies.
Even in the present order Ludendorff
while placing the utmost Importance
upon economy of shells Comedies now
that economy of lives is more impor-
tant, and must hereafter take first
place.
HEAVY LOSS OF MAN POWER.
The Ludendorff order lends added
significance to the United Press dis
patches from this front on Sept. %, in
which 1t was stated that out of A.
100000 men who figured in the army
rolls, the Prussian army machine now
had only about $4,000 left in the
fighting ranks. Germany is begin
of this tremendous loss of man power.
Ludendorff's order, translated from
the copy taken on a German prisoner
declares:
THE consumption of munitions has
remained constantly very high recent
ly on the fighting front in spite of the
fact that the combative activity has
generally diminished"
issued very early in September, before
the British drive in Flanders)
In particular the consumption of
shells for mortars and heavy field
Howitzers is much greater than the
production.
For Economy in Men.
This is serious. However, the su-
perior direction of the army cannot
issue general order for a further re-
striction in consumption of munitions.
becauce our losses on all fighting
fronts continue to be very high and
could become even higher if further
general restrictions were made Econ
omy in men is even more important
than economy in munitions.
1T is necessary to try to obtain an
Improvement N these two points To
this end it is necessary to use muni-
tions as carefully as possible according
to orders previously given, and also TO
regulate the tactics of our fighting
methods according to regulations given
and the circumstances, so as to dimin-
ish our losses.
According to orders which we have
seen, and according to the complaints
of the troops, it is no longer in doubt
that we persist in our old ways of see
ing things and that we continue along
these (wasteful?) lines on certain oc-
casions. These tactics are in first line
positions:
CONSERVATION ORDERS.
"Too severe fighting for pos
session of ground, even a trench
element which is of little tactical
value, without Importance and even
disadvantageous to defend.
"Hasty counter attacks without
information from the artillery,
''Too dense occupation of the
first lines.
Large reserves kept too close or
in the open when no attack is
planned.
TOO much artillery fire against
positions where there is no enemy.
such as destructive cannonading
of empty trenches, useless barrage
fires and cannonading, especially
at night, when there is not suffi-
cient information for regulating
the fire."