The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1918-02-23
"Y" TRUCKS In WAR
Carry Bit of Home to American
Soldiers in France.

New York, Feb. pa WORKOUT
! 1913 f1ivver costs $1,000 in France
| today, and it cheap at the price. The
life of car used in carrying supplies
for the soldiers is not more than
three months on the average. There
are almost no repair shops, and there
aren't even tools available in
France"
This sums up a few of the difficult
ties in the problem that the Young
Mems Christian Association is facing
in France at present, in getting food
and other supplies for the soldiers to
it's canteens, according to w. o. Will
son, Secretary in Charge of Trans
portation, attached to its headquar-
ters staff in Paris. He has come to
America to make arrangements for
great system of Young Mems Chris
tian Association service stations and
repair shops in France, to get more
cars, and to secure number of ex-
pert drivers and mechanics.
The war is sometimes almost
war of transportation" Mr.. Wilson
said, at the International Young
Mems Christian Association Build
ing, 124 East 2Sth Street. Our ar
my is scattered through many vii
lagos instead of being in centralized
cantonmentS as it is in America. The
problem is therefore doubled in size
and Importance. After having Studi-
ed divisional distribution and distri-
button at the front, l have come back
to America to get together an orga-
nization that will be prepared to face
and overcome almost insurmount-
able difficulties.
The Young Mems Christian As
sociation has approximately one hun
dred cars in France at the present
time. These consist of cheap Ameri-
can automobiles, two or three-ton
trucks, and Italian, French, and
English cars. Sending automobiles
from America to France costs real
money, yet the Association must
have from three hundred to five
hundred cars there by Spring or ear
ly Summer to carry on its work.
"One can get an idea of what we
are up against by the fact that the
French Government is building 1850
of the Foyers du Soldat, or W huts,
for the French Army, and an Ameri
can Division of 1900 men is scat
tered at many points. These French
" huts will be in charge of the
American Young Mems Christian As
sociation.
Where the soldiers of division
are at from thirty to fifty different
points, it means that the lines of
communication between each of
these and the Young Mems Christian
Association division or base head
ha nd haf
tons of supplies must be transported
to each unit. The activities of a hut
depend upon the transportation de-
partment.
The Young Mems Christian Asso-
citation is rapidly organizing a thor
ough and efficient repairing service
system, with small emergency shops
almost at the front, larger ones to
equipped machine shops and service
st s q atieeazs ez, at the larger -hases.-
Gar parts and tools, as well as
the cars themselves, are being shipp-
ed to France in large numbers. A
great many of the drivers and repair
men who will be at these new service
stations will also go soon. They are
the very best of their kind that the
Association can get. We have found
that the best drivers and repair men
are none too good to go up against
the critical tests over there.
When the " truck rolls into a
village, and some one yells The "
is here!' the driver and truck almost
need a bodyguard for a time. The
hut secretary has to come down and
calm the men by saying:
boys, I'll open the canteen at
three o'clock, and I'm afraid you'll
have to wait till then At three
o'clock the whole camp has heard Of
the arrival of the truck, and the
poor old canteen is once more al
most demolished"
The daily and weekly movements
of every Young Mems Christian As
sociation car and driver are known
at any given moment to the Trans
portation Department of the Asso-
citation in Paris. Large charts hang
on the wall there, showing the ap-
proXimate positions of each car and
driver. The needs of the individual
divisions are constantly known at
the headquarters. The cargo of ev-
cry car is checked and inspected by
the stores department, and thus each
truck is sent on its way in an ex-
plicit and definite order.
Gasolene, or essence,as the French
call it, is controlled in a very COM
plete and efficient way, so that not a
drop is lost. Each truck driver and
truck master is provided with book
issued by the Government authorities
which is honored throughout France
at the many essence depots. The
driver need only present his little
book to the Frenchman in charge,
who pours out, very carefully, just
so many litres of the valuable fuel.