New-York tribune., 1919-04-24
Millions TO Be Sacrificed i'm
Disposing of Enormous
Stores in France Useless
Now for Army or Navy
Can't BE Shipped Home
Allies Will Get Bargain
Prices, but Governments
Doubs Ability TO Buy All
By Wilbur Forrest

NeD YORK Tribune
Special Cable SerVica
,copyrigh,. 1919. New York Tribune Inc,
COBLENZ April $50 stupendous
Is the American army's service of sup
plies in France, stretching over sys-
TENS of American built railways from
French Atlantic ports through inter
mediate stations across France to the
old battlefelds, that there is serious
doubt whether the Allied nations can
afford to take it off Uncle Sans hands.
The task of dismantlng has al
ready begun. Packed to the roofs with
food, ammunition, arms of all kinds
and supplies of every military descrip-
ton, veritable cities of warehouses and
hundreds of acres of storage yards
crammed to their capacity represent
what Uncle Sam had planned for the
1919 spring drive-hundreds of mill
ions of dollars worth of preparation
which the armistice made unnecessary
To-day this enormous provisioning
machine of the American army is be-
ginning to appear in the light of mil
itary while elephant in Europe unless
Uncle Sam can pack it up and send it
home, and obviously he cannot.
France Needs the Space
France is calling on America to de-
mobilize her supply stations at the
earliest possible time, because France
wants every possible facility to re-
sumo normal conditions, in order to
compete commercially and economical
ly with other nations, especially Ger
many. The American army has prom
ised to comply, but in view of the
necessity of using all available tonnage
TO transport troops home it is OBJ
viously impossible to figure out a way
to accomplish the shipment of much
of the military treasure now lying in
these supply stations.
Some parts of the great organization
are destined for Antwerp, where the
supply organization must centre, in Or
der to supply the American Army of
Occupation and the last troops that re-
main IN Europe. But with the physical
impossibility to take home the gigantic
remainder, the question of disposinp
OF 1t to the European allies becomes
worrying problem.
have just learned from competent
authority that Marshal Petain, com
mander of the French armies, with the
members OF his staff, has now COM
pleted an inspection tour of these
supply stations with view of making
such purchases for the French govern
ment as the army will be able to use.
Marshal Petain evinced the keenest
surprise at the magnitude of the
american war organization, declaring
that with SO many branches on
large scale he was doubtful of
FRANCES ability to make use of them.
Expense Was Enormous
AT Glevres alone, one of the big in
termediate supply stations, Marshal
Petain learned that the cost of con-
struction of the railway yards, ware
houses and repair shops. with tho
variouS materials and supplies on hand
April 15, represents 500 0O0,O
He saw there about 10000 army auto
monlies, which the army purposes to
sell by acre lots, mixing good, bad and
indifferent cars for lump sums.
tie saw one of the greatest refrig
Grating plants in the world, with ?
o0o,OOO tons of fresh meat in cold stor-
age.
He saw 10000 American aeronlanos
still Grated as they were received iron,
america, and was told that all these
were for sale, except the motors
which are to be shipped back.
lie saw about seven square miles ~
covered warehousing space within
network Of railway lines and learned
'nae tne Glevres railway yards are
larger than any in America ana the
busiest in the world, handling about
l,.Oo freight cars daily.
"hen Marshal Petain saw not only
uiesres, put similar military organiza-
lions at brest, Bordeaux St. Nazaire
SAINT fierre, Descorps, the ordnance
repair shops at Mehun, the regulating
YARDS at ls-sur-tille, and the greatest
~ "ost modern automobile repair
shop at Eerneuil, he began to douht
tne American ability to disnose os
more tnan a comparatively small mart
u TINS great war supply machine to
Demand Is Small
Other Allied governments are soca
- hg representatives to inspect the
american salvage pile" though the
market Tor purely military materials
amounting to hundreds of milI;ons ot
9oIars' VIII prove exceedingly lean
que 70 wars general unpopularitv and
t"e restricted armaments of the future
Automobiles, trucks and tractor ~
expected to be the best sellers Sar
rlice prices must prevail for these
~ IS estimated that the lightcst cars
IN army use will bring an AVERAGE
OF sloo each, while the heavier ones
may bring an average of from $500
to $500 when sold by the acre.
Large purchases undoubtedly will he
made Immediately by Allied govern
ncnts, but in the main 1t is incrcas-
lngly evident that Uncle Sam has in
France great war white elephant
whose value staggcrs the imagination
even OF men who think in millions.