The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1918-08-08
Munitions of all sorts

and coal and oil and a thousand an
one other essentials most be ready or
demand, in all branches Of the work
responsibility is certain and definitely
fixed. Just as definitely as the old
prophet Nathan fixed responsibility on
King David when he pointed to him
do the powers that be fix responsible.
Iity on the heads of departments, and
the heads of departments on subordi.
mates to carry out details. It's big
business backed by military discip-
line. Its a thousand times more eff
fcient than the business system of
hire and fire" which leaves the ser
vice at the option Of both employer
and employee. It's a service that can
be avoided only by ineficiency or i'm
morality, and to avoid it by either of
these methods means disgrace. The
compensation for such service is not
based on sordid dollars and cents. It's
like unto a labor of love, the labor the
poet dreamed of when no n shall
work for money and no one shall work
for pay"
It's an inspiration to visit the head
quarters of the American Expedition
airy Forces in France, and as the folk
at home learn of the zeal and e~fficien-
cy of the management they will be
comforted. When our troops and men
land on French soil, responsibility
shifts from the government at home
to the shoulders Of our officers and
men over here. The headlines quoted
at the beginning of this article tell
the story as to how well our boys are
doing their part of the work. The
officers at headquarters here are in
intelligent touch with every detail of
our big business in France. They
have surveyed and charted the hills
and rivers and fields Of France from
the frontiers to the firing line; in all
ways they have profited by the -four
years experience of France and Ems
land; they are conserving supplies
and men that have come across the
they have analysed the bust
ness they are about in all it's details,
in all its ramiications. And they pa.
await the coming of sufficient
to speedily finish the job.
That sufficient men, horses, guns,
food and supplies will come as rap
idly as ships can be found to bring
them, is known by every officer at
headquarters. Things are sure com
ing our way" said a high command
ing officer. He referred to the thous-
ands of soldiers and the immense ton.
mage arriving in France each week.
They understand that the pressure
France has every of
our government behind it, and the
work is prosecuted here with the Ger
tainty that there will be no lack of
men, money or supplies.
When we have won the war and
It's history is written the accomplish
of American engineers will
stand out as prominent as the accom-
plishments of American fighting men.
They have performed miraculous en-
cheering feats in a remarkable short
.ime-such as building docks and
bridges, retaining swamps, building
'Oads, laying railway trucks, laying
)ut great storage bases, constructing
for water supply, installing sew-
ar systems, etc. Often the French
transport system has been supple
and paralleled by an Ameri-
an system. In a large con-
,truction work has been done by the
engineers. They have built ware
houses and cantonments, hospitals,
and cold-storage plants.
They have erected assembly plants
or motor trucks and steel cars. Com
)lete trains of trucks and cars are
laily assembled. Our engineers have
axe-men and are telling the
of France for railroad ties and
'uel for bakeries and mess kitchens.
The spirit of the engineers is mar
Nearly all the officers and
'orty per cent of the men are college
Many of them left school
% enlist. Others had finished school
md had commenced the technical
work for which they were educated
engineering, architecture. chemis-
Try, mechanics, etc. AS an example
give the case Of young Norman
Scott, OF Des Moines, Iowa. my neigh
oor. He completed his four years
course at Drake university in
1915, won a Rhodes scholarship and
spent a year at Oxford studying chem
istry. l found him the other day with
z---- " -zk-- $1,000