The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1918-02-01
SUPPLIES WILL
Win The WAR,
DON'T WASTE'EM
Keynote of the British Troops at
the Front Now.
IT SOON MUST Be OURS

During the Construction Period the
British Army Was Lavishly Equip
ped and Little Attention Was Paid
to Waste at spigot-Now Salvage
Department Is Literally Saving
Thousands Of Pounds Day.
Over in the American lines there is
q sort of a standing order-never re-
duced to printed form, but wholly in
effect evertheless-which runs about
as follows:
: "Get the goods. Never mind what
they cost. Get the goods
1t was perhaps inevitable Under the
circumstances. A small American
force reached France almost literally
without a spare undershirt to its col
lective back. There were shortages of
blankets and food and overcoats and
huts and gun sings and pack saddles.
1t had been gathered in 8 hurry when
the United States hurriedly deter
mined to go to war, writes Herbert
".
field, to the Chicago News.
Because the men had not been prop
erly equipped or clothed on our own
side of the water-because they did
not bring food sufficient to their needs
because so many things were needed
at once-the element of economy gave
way to the element of haste.
Huts at "Brown Stone" Prices.
We paid and We are paying through
the nose for our lack of foresight and
provision.
Therefore one hears stories OF
French workmen being hired to build
huts for our men at salaries whieh
would make the old-fashioned Pitts
burgh rolling mill boss-the sort who
used to drive to work each morning IN
his own car-envy the French carpen-
ter. One hears Of huts which have
been run up at brown stone prices.
One hears of a hotel rented at four or
five times it's normal rental in times
of peace. Even the French people,
who are getting the money, are kick
ing about it. They say the Americans
are spelling the market fer them.
1T is the war price, I said in resig-
nation the other day when l had been
stung to a blue welt.
sMais. non," objected the French
friend who accompanied me. sit is the
price Americain."
All this, as has been said, is inevi-
table, because we did not take that
stitch in time of which the proverb
tells. 1t is perhaps also inevitable
that the officers Of our old regular
army, which had been notorious.y
starved in times Of peace and who are
now luxuriating in unlimited funds,
should develop u Coal Oil Johnny hab-
it o. mind. But the time will come
when economy must be considered. 1t
might be well for some Of our staff to
make a careful, even prayerfui,
study of the British system for pre-
venting waste.
1t Grew S!oWly But Surely.
Mind you, the British system did not
sprinc to life over night. No army IN
the field has been so lavishly equipped
as that of Great Britain. It's men are
given of the best, from bacon to saddle
feathers. During the construction per-
iod, when all energies were bent to the
creation of an effective army in the
field, little heed was paid to the waste
at the spigol. Some of the early camps
were Uttered with half-worn-out equip
ment of various sorts. Guns and linn
bers and old shoes and what not, hav-
ing worked through their period OF
greatest effectiveness, were cast aside.
I think it is but fair that emphasis
should again be put upon the fact that
this was an inevitable complement OF
a period Of hurried army building. But
when that army was once built and in
running order the orderly British mind
rebelled against the wanton extrava-
gance to be seen on every hand. A
salvage department was not part OF
the original organization, because no
one had thought Of it. 1t is justifylng
its existence today by saving Of lit
orally thousands of pounds a day.
The American people-and the
American staff-should realize that
this promises to be long and an enor-
mously costly war for US. There is no
reason why we should not prepare in
advance for the army economies which
will ultimately be necessary.
Old Rifles Made as Good as New.
There are certain details OF the Brit
ish salvage system which | may not
put on paper. may not tel, for ex-
ample, how many hundreds of thou
sands of rifles have been made over,
so that they are practically as good as
new. ] am permitted to tell the gen.
eral working Of the plan.
From my observation Of the German
military economies in 1915-it was the
German who first realized the need for
saving behind the lines-I am conf
dent that the British system Of today
&c ou;+o ss efficient as that of the Ger