The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1918-08-24

eor q, T have orooar Indicated. the further de-
velopment of the great base ports may yet rod II
of some Of its originally contemplated
but. however that may be, it is now one VI te
main pillars of the structure. 1t comprises d "iue
variety of enterprises, all on a huge scale scat
tered at various points over a large section Oh the
country, but skilfully linked up by rail- one
branch dovetailed into another, and all compin-
ing for the quick handling of stores for an army
Of millions.
An Organization chart" showing the, activities
centered under the commanding general of this
great intermediate section, though not quite SO
formidable, perhaps, reminds one of a chart or
the Whitehall district Of London. This command
ing officer is responsible primarily for the main
reserve stores, for the American expeditionary
forces and the constant sending forward o. their
daily supplies; but in addition to that he has a
large measure of responsibility for the organiza-
tion and control of great camps, schools, base
hospitals, rest areas, engineering and repair
shops, the principal repository for "spare parts"
Of all machinery used in the army, cold storage
plants, oil and petrol depots, forestry work and
control of a good-sized labor army, which in
cludes many thousands of negroes, Cinnamon and
German prisoners of war.
A round of this huge field of operations Is
both instructive and inspiring. At one point l
went through an enormous locomotive assembling
and repair works (housed in a great modern fac
tory building now nearing completion), built for
llc AluSllSdnS, HItuSh super NloLOu, ny u
Spanish firm a huge oil and petrol supply sta
ton, a 10, 000-bed hospital and a number of other
highly important branches of a central organiZa-
ton which constitutes one of the real backbone
sections of the service Of supply. At another
point I went over great railway yards to see the
rows upon rows of street structure warehouses
which are being built to hold supplies for an
army of a million men for 30 days; an immense
refrigerating plant and countless other features,
all on the same prodigious scale.
Calm, quiet men are supervising 1t all, watch
ing 1t grow before their eyes. When the tele-
phones Jingle (and they are never long 10 re-
pose) there is no shouting, no excitement; just
quiet, firm replies to the questions put. There
is everywhere an air of suppressed energy rather
than exuberance or "bustle." 1t is orderly prog
ress, firmly guided by strong minds, by capable
men. America has put her best executives into
this work and they are rapidly making good" as
events of the very near future are certain to
prove.
Farther along the line saw much the same
evidence of orderlinesS combined with strength
In the army bakeries, in the big central camou-
f1age plant, at the various advanced centers from
which the army supplies are rearranged for
shifting to various railroads and thence to the
soldiers at the front.
If, as many believe, it is going to be neces-
sary for the Americans to put an army of 3,000,-
900 into the field to enable the allies to achieve
a definite and conclusive military victory, then
the quick development of the full American pro-
gram is a matter Of the highest importance to
the whole allied cause. From every point of
view the results of the FIRST years work may be
set down as a glorious achievement. of which
Americans have every right to be proud; the
years record is a monument to their zeal and
their wonderful ability. 1t is a record which
promises stih greater things for the near future.
1t spells the beginning of the end, and points
clearly to an overwhelming victory for the allies.
1t seems to me that the more the people of
France and England and the United States know
about this American work In France the better.
III the enemy, failing in his effort to deliver a
Knockout blow by finging against the allied lines
the full force of his eastern armies, released nv
the collapse of Russia, next turns his efforts to a
concentrated peace offensive, as doubtless he will.
then surely a clear knowledge of the nature and
extent OF the American achievement to date, Of
the American plans. and most of all an under
standing of the underlying determination TO go
the whole distance and not stop till the right
KIND OF peace has been secured, will steel the
hearts OF the war-weary ones and silence the
traitors and pacihsts among us for good and ali