The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1918-01-29

! machinery, we have had to send from
this country even the piles to build
| the docks. We have had to have
gauntry cranes; manufactured in this
country and sent over to be erected
~ '''~"o docks. we have had to erect
over Their warehouses at the ports of
..-y..-. ~. 4,t..AUn iii -Oruer that these
vast accommodations of stores and sup,
plies which go over can be properly
housed and cared for, until they can
be distributed into the interior.
Is. Process Of Rebuilding
Eve have had to take over, and in
process of rebuilding and simplifying
railroad six hundred miles long in
order to carry. out products from our
ports Of decentralization to our gen.
eral bases Of operate IS. And all of
that, gentlemen, has to be done, not
only studied out, as necessary thing
to do, but when so studied out and re.
ported here, the manufacturers for
those things have to he carried on in
this country, and tt e things shipped
over there, nails, cross ties, spikes,
fish plates, engines, cars, buildings.
I'VE have had to build barracks
over there for our soldiers, and in the
meantime to billet them around in the
French villages. Building barracks
over there and building them here is
a very different thing, gentlemen.
Lumber Conditions.
when we summoned the lumber in
dustry Of this country to produce the
lumber to build our own cantonments,
it came in a great and steady stream
from all parts of the country, but
when we talk about building barracks
in France, it means this: It means to
organize, as we have organized, regi-
ments of foresters and sending them
over into the forests Of France, which
they have assigned to us for our use,
quitting down the trees, setting up saw
mills, making the lumber OF various
sizes, transporting it to the places
where it is to be used and then fin
ally using it.
1--WE have had to 60 back to the
planting of the corn in France in or
der that we might some time make a
harvest. Our operations began in the
forests of France, not in the lumber
yards as they did in this country"
Charges Of mistreatment of troops
in hospitals, Secretary Baker said,
were acted on vigorously, and he
pointed out that the War Department
only last week refused to permit mere
dismissal of two army doctors, who
soldiers, but insisted that
they should be given prison sentences
in addition.
Need of Ships.
There are now in the United States |
sixteen national army camps, and six
teen national guard camps, (thirty-
two divisions of troops) filled with,
men ready to CO." said Secretary
Baker. II do not know how fast it may
be necessary to send them to France"
he said. know how fast we have
sent them and how fast we plan to
send them. What we tried to do was
to get the, men out as rapidly as we
could estimate on the production cap
lcity of the country being able to take
care of them"
1SSAs~AAA Ao IAoC Wy 0SSNiAAlS3 eIACAhS1J !
rom France, Mr. Baker said, it would
llsO save ships.
II am telling no secrets when l say
hat ships are the crux of our prob
ems" he said,
Secretary Baker said all foreign
representatives and also the war coun-
.iPs participants headed by Col.
House said that the securing of ord
lance from England and France will
lot take supplies they need, but will
lelp them.
The flow of men, munitions and sup
lilies from America to France is the
objective on which Germany will. cen-t
er her strongest offensive this spring,
t is announced in Secretary Bakers
weekly war review. U-boats, which
rave been operating in the Atlantic
anes have been recalled to their home
,orts for repairs in preparation for
he drive on Transatlantic shipping.