The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1918-01-30

From my observation OF the German
military economies in 1915-it was the
German who first realized the need for
behind the lines-I am conf
dent that the British system of today
Is quite as efficient as that of the Ger
mans ever was. That is paying a high
for the German need of
economy has always been far greater
than that Of the British.
The salvage system really begins its
work in mo mans land" After every
push the mo mans land" Of yesterday
is incorporated in the British lines.
Then it is cleaned. Old boots and
denied helmets and broken rifles r
gathered up. "Dud" shells are explOd-
ed usually, because they are u con-
slant danger, and as a matter of eco
nomy it rarely pays to unload them.
Emptled shells and shell fragments are
sent back to be melted down. Brass
powder cases are dispatched to the
rear to be cleaned and reflled. The
odds and ends of q battlefield are
gathered up. All are sent to a salvage
depot ut one Of the bases.
Work Of Salvage Grows Fast.
In the particular salvage depot
which l have been privileged to exam
inc many people are employed. There
are hundreds of French men and wOm-
en- and some German prisoners and
some Chinese and q sufficient number
Of expert British workmen who have
been taken from the fighting line to
be placed where they can be more
useful. A few months ago, compare
lively, it was housed In a single shed.
Now 1t grows almost while you watch
il.
The most impressive feature of the
establishment is precisely the feature
which l may only hint at, for 1t en-
ableS one family to comprehend the
gigantic character of the business n
terprise which we call war. In a single
month, for example, unserviceable
hOrSeShOes by the hundreds Of tons
were assorted and sen to England to
be reforged. Block tin weighing sew
eral hundred pounds a recovered
from unserviceable utensils. Hundred
weights of rusty horseshoe nails were
cleaned and made fit for issue. Thou
sands Of mess tins which had been
thrown away were retinned so that
they are literally better than ever.
Hundreds of thousands Of pairs of
boots were cleaned, oiled and repaired,
Tens of thousands of German pistols
were put In condition. Other tens OF
thousands OF water bottles were made
like new.
Making Over Old Boots.
The net result is the practical elm.
ination of waste. When Mr.. Atkins at
the front needs new boots now he
turns in his old ones and, If he is for.
tunate, gets nice. well-broken In, com
Portable old ones that have been fixed
up. If he Is unlucky he is forced to
take new mes. If he goes to the hos
pital his old boots and his old clothes
are sen to the salvage works to be
cleaned and repaired. The army joke
is that the army head is Of a standard
size, so that the army helmet Is pre-
sumed to fit afl corners. But the
wounded mans helmet Is cleaned be
fore 1t Is reissued, lest the origina
owner send on a scalp disease to the
later weare Gas masks are cleaned
before reissue for the same reason.
Hundreds of French girls are EN-
ployed In the boot shop. Here two o.
three experts are seated In front of {
mountain of old boots matching then
In pairs. They go on by q sort OF al
endless chain to the inspectors, wh'
decide upon the repairs to be made
An enormous double bench Is occupied
by girls who tear the old soles off b!
machinery. They are washed. new
soles stitched OF nailed on, they ar
dipped in an oil vat, and then tree
are inserted to keep them In shape
A shoe does not stop moving from on
end of the shop until 1t goes to tn
storehouse at the other.
Here is a loft where old tents ar
inspected and either repaired or con
demned. Next to 1t army wagons ant
ammunition limbers are being mad
over. Leather and web equipment
actually better than new when 1t ha
been through the shop, because 1T
more pliable. Waste paper Is balec
So that finally one gets to the engin
room, where the chief marvel Of a.
is in being. The big boilers that fur
nish power for a factory fed entirel
by the old shoes and other absolutel
inutilizable waste Of the works. On
had never suspected that an old sho
is as good as steam coal In a fire boz
But 1t Is.
"No doubt" I said cheerily. for l al
a humorous soul at times, "you saw
} the nails from these old shoes"
The joke fell fiat. They do save tn
PGr1cE GIVE I DEEP SIGI