Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-11-16


the honor and credit of that When
it was once Informed what demands
were to be made on it, ii went to work
of it's own accord to fulfill its task,
and gave ever better and better re-
suits. That it insured to itself a cor
respondingly good reward from the
government was only reasonable. in
view Of the great risk and the large
capital outlay involved in fulfilling
our demands; just as reasonable. in
fact. as the workers desire for good
wages.
opposed, If only in the soldiers in
terests, all extravaganza and seltlsh-
ness. 1t was the duty Of the govern
ment to insure by all necessary meas
ures that our economic position was
not made any worse by the enormous
demands of the Hindenburg program.
Taxation could only serve as partial
remedy
Prefiteering was the deadliest sin,
and our inability to eradicate it was
a matter of the create regret to me
from the point of view OF morale at
home and in the field. Many times |
made an effort to get to the bottom
Of it, The war profiteer is loath-
some phenomenon and he and the
corruption of his influence have done
us incalculab!e harm.
The hopes which | placed on the
war office for obtaining all the avail
able man-power We're. not fulfilled
Even this office seemed to look at all
such questions from the point of view
Of domestic politics. instead of placing
before everything the needs of the
war had also hoped that it would
succeed in bringing employers and
workmen nearer together for the de-
sire for ra pproachement was present
in many quarters. t.-. -a
Relginns Refused to Help Foe. So
the Factories Were Stripped.
Efforts were also made In the oc-
cupied territories and in Poland and
Belgium to stimulate war work.
This was only possible 70 limited
extent, owing" to the fluctuations in
the war position with which we had
to reckon and the shortage OF labor
There were also at times other diff
ficulties. For example, the Belgian
workmen in the huge small-arms m
dustries of the Liege district were only
ready to work if they received an as
surance that the weapons they manu-
featured would not be used by Ger
man troops on llle WFSttf II l4D'At' hiii"
assurance could not be given.
We We're thus compelled TO remove
from many places the machinery
which was suitable for war purposes
and transport it to Germany, where
| it could be put to useful ends.
! The obtaining and distribution u
raw materials in Germany was en-
trusted to the safe hands of Colone
/ Koeth who in his department worked
with the genius proper 20 the greal
| war. He achieved great things in the
direction of getting materials out Of
I the occupied territories The supply
| of materials from neutral and alice
| countries was in the control OF
special department of the Prussiar
4 ministry of war. with which Colone
| Koeth worked in close liaison.
And the People Suffered.
Colonel Koeth gave the army al
| that it urgently needed, and in tho
then position, having regard to oul
dependence on foreign countries, moth
! ing more could be done. The supply
of raw material was insured IA
| ahead. The people, however, sufferet
considerably. Clothing and footwear
were very short Prices ruled terri
| bly, high, graVely increasing the cos
of living, and all the difficulties asso
ciated with that. This caused M
anxiety. The supreme army com
mand in the interests of the etflclen
conduct of the war. could not tolerat
it. and made many appeals on IN
point to the government, unfortunate
~ without success.
& Our dependence on foreign countrie
!, had grave effects, and | attache
4 fr,,y n thn nrnHiIct1D
: of substitute textile fihres. I instruct
ed Lieut., Colonel Schmidt Reder t
| investigate the matter. He put himsel
, In touch with the various government
offices and with the textile industry
and he is mainly responsible for sue
success as was achieved. Cape
clothing was one of the results of thl
inquiry)
I hope that his industry will brin
benerit to his country. 1t may be q
! incalcnlable blessing for the Germa
j, people, if it learns how to crow e
, itself the products hitherto importe
from abroad.
: To obtain the various raw materia
A large number of semi-official con
: panies were established. | was not
nositinn to Judge whether and
: what extent they were necessary, 81
1t is quite clear that in operate
they were productive of infinite fri
f ton.
Railways Badly Strained.
= The question of transport lay at Il
d root of all questions Of keeping Y
the, fight at home. The question,
Q its turn, depended on locomotive
! railway cars. and staff, and was clos
= IN bound up with the coal suppl
: Minister Won Breitenbach sacrifice
!. a great deal in every direction for t
h needs of the army.
y, Both personnel and material we
strained to the utmost and the loo
:. motives in particular were ilt-use
If In the first place, matters We're u
! proved somewhat by returning ia
tories to the work of locomotive al
wagon construction The supren
army command also helped the mi
! lister of public works in other way
even, although with great reluctant
u by releasing men to such an eXte
4 as to weaken the army. This WI
t. however, unavoidable.
-. In MANY respects we had prepar
for short war. and in this and 9th
~ matters had to reshane ourselves
n, meet a long one. Military deman
on the railways at home still RENAL
ed very high We had seized I
whole OF the Belgian locomotives q
It's also certain engines and wagons
eft North France. but these We're I
! nearly enough The material tax
in Russia could not be used, cwi
ne to the difference Of gauge.
Rumania Got His Cars.
Our allies also laid great burde
"A on our stock of engines and wage
:" On the Austyo- Hungarian railws