Evening star., 1933-09-10

HtALLR VT OEPM hI>
du Guesclin performed many Of hi
now almost legendary deeds, and dowr
below Tours, where Charles Martel first
made France an international factor by
hurting back the Saracen invasion, 6
French Army Of almost 1000 mer
has been strenuously maneuverinl
throughout considerable part of the
Summer. Other French Armies have
been in training In the East and in the
South. The seriousness with which
men and officers take their work has
impressed itself on foreign observer.
this year particularly.
These men (far too heavily clad fol
the hot Summer which France has hac
this year, get basic wage of about
| 3 cents day, In terms of American
money. (The French privates getting
eign Legion, on desert war duty, who
get almost Is cents a day..
Their day begins at am, with q
breakfast Of cider (the cheapest bev.
erage in apple-growing Brittany anc
Normandy, cheese and bread. Ma.
neuvers and other duties keep then
busy until 2 pm, when they have g
lunch OF stew, bread and coffee, heavily
laced with rum. They resume theil
work in the afternoon, finishing the
day at dusk with another simple meal
This year France has about $4,000
such men under arms, service beinf
universally compulsory for one year
beginning at the age of 21. During ons
month In the Summer the men are, ir
rotation, given agricultural leave,
without pay. so that they can go homt
| and help to harvest the crops. Tht
ic H.,
cause the French Army and the re.
Gently accelerated military construction
projects absorb all the labor which
would ordinarily be free or unem
ployed.
| Labor Situation in France.
There Is. practically speaking, no un.
employment in France. But from an
other viewpoint France has what il
almost no-wage system under tn,
shadow OF military absolutism. Thi
system absorbs labor SO completely tina
1t has been necessary to import sew
eral thousand foreigners for work OF
the eastern frontier.
From the American point Of view
the French regime as now constituted
almost amounts to a Chinese or slave.
wage system. with trifling pay. plain
food, adequate but coarse clothing
transportation and a little time of tC
work on the farm and prevent the
homefolkS from starving or from fall.
ing even lower in their scale of living
1t must be understood. however. thai
the average Frenchman regards it a.
necessary contribution to the genera
preparation for the war, which he re.
CARDS as inevitable.
1t Is this conviction and this feel.
ing OF fear (for the French as a Who'll,
seem fearful as to the outcome of thu
struggle toward which they believe the,
are rapidly movingl which explain.
the enigma Of the French frontier
iortlncation construction program. Al
tnougn the average Frenchman is SO poo
as to have to live below the preyailins
standard in America and England. TIN
French government has been able il
four years. to carry out a program Il
which the people of neither England
nor America would have consented il
time Of peace
What Is Frontier Project?
What is that frontier project-nov
virtually completed? It is a subter.
ranean city extensive enough to &C.
commodate two armies as large as tn,
present Army Of the United States. i
1t railway system larger than tn,
subway system Of New York and Chi.
cago combined. 1t Is a mass of con.
crete and steel. strung along a larg,
portion Of frontier and fully equipped
with electricity. water, sewage, posta
and other services. It is a series O
disappearing gun units. artfully con.
cealed. widely scattered and elaborated,
and delicately equipped. 1t is a chair
OF mines. some equipped with push
button controls. and others so arranged
as to be discharged automatically b,
the application of certain amount o.
weight. It is system of canals. I
Is system of food provocation, where
by thousands Of acres can be deeply
inundated; and. by contrast. it is {
system whereby other hundreds of acre.
can be made to burst into flames.
| 1t Is Oil and water and steam. elec
triclty and chemistry. concrete ant
steel, cash and deferred payments
human toll and ingenuity-all combinet
to produce an incredibly diffused fort
ress:: commanding an area some hun
dred miles long-a citadel presumabl,
impregnable.
But 1t Is citadel, be is remembered
Of which the vitals, as revealed to tn,
newspaper men accompanying tn,
French premier on the tour Of inspec
ton. are "at least 100 meters" mor,
than 800 feet) underground. TIL,
formally designated public entrance II
this citadel Is near Metz. Its rea
military key or center is. of course, {
secret.
Cost Is Kept Secret.
No one outside the highest officials
Of the French government knows tn,
cost Of this citadel We know that IL
front Of 1t it creates a no mans LIANT
of probably $50 square miles-lant
which even If not closed to civilians b!
strict military regulations. would be 81
by the danger Of death for even tn
innocent trespasser.
The deferred payments for that ter
rain (and 1t must be paid for eventual
ly) will amount to q stupendous sum
The concrete work alone must hav,
been incredibly costly. For example
the important guns land one is givel
to understand that there are hundred
Of them are "nested" or "cabined
steel and concrete structures, weighing
$4,000 pounds! That means. In al
probability. something like $4,000 h
house one Of these guns. What Of tn,
supplemental costs?
l What, indeed. Of the grand total COS