The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-01-04

! French aided the British to repel the
big German offensive OF the 21st of
March. The order was: STAND firm,
the Yanks are coming Nobody in
France lost faith in the ultimate fate
of their Country, in spite of the
threatening advance of the Germans.
| Cross is entirely organized and man
Likewise on the 9th of May. Paris |
was saved through the desperate re-
sistance of the French. aided by the
heroic troops of Haig and Pefshing; |
every fighter knew that more and
more American divisions were land |
ing and that victory would belong to
the army which. could hold out the |
last fifteen minutes. After the fail
ure of the drive of the Germans on
the 18th of July, French and Ameri- |
| cans began the victorious rush for
ward which was to result in the vic!
tory of the Allies and the armistice
of the 18th of November. e
I Besides all this, France kept 200.-
i 00o men in Salonica, after having
given her cooperation to the British
at Gallipoli; the Frencknavy had al
ready effected the evacuation OF the
Serbian army without loss from ALI
bahia to Corfu, and defended the
transport service for troops and their
supplies to Salonica, against the hos
1 tile submarines. 1t is too soon to
state just what bearing our last at
| tack north of Salonica had upon the
termination of the war, but we may
already say that 1t was one of the
main causes of final victory.
Some figures will show the military
effort of France; 7,700,Qo0 men have
been called to the service since
August, 1914. Approximately HOO
l 600 had been killed; 100000 dis
abled or missing. In spite OF thesf
losses France was not exhausted, for
j she was able to keep up an army c
i 113 divisions on the western from
There are still 100000 men in the
advanced zone of the French front.
i Behind the firing line. during this
endless war, factories were required
to manufacture shells, guns, machine
guns, equipment, supplies. and SO
forth. In August, 1914. France had
lost. first, the region OF Briey; sec
ond, the coal mines ana the iron
works of the Northern Departments.
| "Out of 127 blast furnaces" said al
prominent German metallurgist,
"ohly 80 may produce pig-iron IN
France In spite of these circum-
stSnees, in spite of the lack OF coal,
Fraace was able to manufacture
evaaty war material. In October.
i 1915, French works turned~out So
4 6p0 rs millimeter shells per day, in
I stead of 5000 in August. 1914; 40
] 600 155 millimeters instead of 200;
60 guns per day were PROD uced IN
the French plants; $50 light baby
tanks" per month and 1000 aviation
engines.
The Industrial effort could NOT
have been sustained without cor
, responding financial effort. Notwith.
standing the loss of the regions OF
the North, which paid IS per ceat Oh
the total amount of French taxes, tho
, citizens of France in 1918 paid to
the State so dollars per ihhabitant
Tor s1.e51,37e,146, while they Yearly
paid before the war s765, 7FS,e1s.
The total war taxes have given to
J the stats since August, 59i4, 1854
22O,1Ss.
The three war loans tlg15, 1915,
1910 realized $5,SS295s,7Se. Tbs
amount Of the fourth loan OF Novsm-
Der, 1913, is not yet known. Through
, short term Treasury bills $4,9T8,-
333,O27 was raised. Foreign cour-
tries loaned to France s4,711,73e,-
$50 (Eng1and: s2,3U3,2S9,35S; the
United States: s2,1S1, 121,835O. The
Banks of France and algeria ad-
! vaneed s3,562,3S5,321.@
Thus was raised totally $23, 5sei-
61119O, which met all the expenses
of France, of which the total amountg
to s23, 4S6,23S,552.
In that war which withdrew from
, the national life all the best men, the
5 activity of women was one of tho
most wonderful things France
showed to the world. The Frencb
women, prepared by the powerful
feminine organizations which existed
! before the war to play their social
! part In the struggle, were ready
, everywhere to do their duty.
For education, thousands of yoane
! women took the place of sehoeffnas-
tiers or of hiEh=school teachers (1s,-
( 600 of them instead of 10000 fnefi I,
t | in the railroads administration tfity
: count more than $4,000 OF them; in
the banks they have particularly sue
4 ceeded; in the transportation, too
7 metropolitan Nord-6ur Tramways) /;
Y finally, women work in all the Gov
: eminent Offices, even in the War Of
E fee and in the Barracks. Army ser
: vices ana administrations employed
= 15e, 900 women. e,se
e they have been members of towr