New-York tribune., 1918-08-08

this little tunnel, when I heard the first
sounds of big gun firing.
further along the road we came upon the
stage setting for possible enforced retire
ment. Since then the Germans have come
and gone--over that stage. Through waving
teids OF grain there were long lines of new
lrehches Soldiers were at work digging
others. These trenches were only bitches
by another name.
Also through these same fields were long
stretches of barbed wire ENHANCEMENT
barbed wire ENHANCEMENT may be made in
accord with some system but it doesn't look
1t. There were just long. winding stretches
OF the stuff, each row of it about six feet
wide, here and there stake driven through
1T into the ground. The wire was laid on
thick, too-plenty of it, looped and tangled
and all messed up tried to picture men
going through that barbed stuff.
There it vast and the trenches. and the
sodiers-all being got ready for battle
big stage for little section of the worlds
greatest drama. We had just come from a
chat with the director of that stage, and
here, IN horizon blue, were the stage hands
and the actors-amid peaceful fields of
grain.
DO they really use clubs in battle? Yes.
they do The Germans have vicious iron
bound club about thirty inches long. in size
bit smaller than the grip end of baseball
bat On the clubbing end there is a round
iron band with inch-long spikes protruding.
THESE spikes have sharp points. The Brit
ism war museum presented our mission with
half-dozen of these evil looking weapons.
They fit in we'll with the caves and the
muddy trench burrowings That's where
they used most too
We were train coming down from
Scotland to London, through beautiful coun-
try of hills and valleys 1t was section
famed for game.
we used to come up here regularly to
hunt said an Englishman who was with us
There was trace of regret in his voice
lie was of the class who used to follow
pleasure and sport about as desire led him.
To-day he is over -burdened with important
work
Well, you'll come back to it when the
wars over" | said to him.
No." he said slowly, well not come back
to it. We're done with this"
And then, to another question, he said in
most matter of fact way: 1--WE will not
be able to afford it. All that is gone for
most all of u.s.
PUTTING 1T in plain words, what he meant
was that those who once could afford pleas
ure and sport had been reduced bv the war,s
demands to the necessity of WORKING for q
living.
"hat TINS man regretted was not the sac
ri'ce ne had made--he was glad to have sac
r'nced but the giving up of beauty and
leisure to enjoy it when the strain of war
has passed.
How England looks forward to victory
time is shown in plans being made for
housing and for providing land for her re-
turning soldiers. Housing was being much
discussed when were there. Government
plans as now laid out call for the buildirc
OF homes up to 100000 The government
goes into sort Of ffty-ffty partnership
win local governments in construction
work. Also the government takes care of
'"e ou'lding cost in excess Of pre-war costs
ana does not charge this excess against the
tenant IN rent Communities already have
slgnlhed their willingness to go into the
housing scheme to the extent of 100000
MONIES. Expense and responsibility are di
vided between local and national govern
ments.
Stress is laid on the need for open space
Tor play and for gardens. The government
wants no soldiers coming back to dark
rooms and crowded houses. 1t wants them
to come back to land and light and beauty.
The small holdings scheme is separate.
-Four colonies already have been started on
areas totalling bit under 5000 acres The
government expects to increase its holdings
to about 10000 acres. "a little COLONY of
lnndholders in every county" is the govern
ment's present aim.
The big landed estate is doomed and
everybody knows it," said one we'll in
formed Brton to me, as we talked over thf.
question of land and housing.