IN FRANCE.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 May 1916, Page 5

IN FRANCE.

AT THE BRITISH BASE. !' "SPIRIT PLUS BRAINS." A neutral observer thus describe* ti visit to British General Headquarter* in France in a message published ]in Sydney Morning Herald; dated March 30:—Lndlcss rooms, hundreds of bufly clerks, botli men and women, score* of tiling cabinets, each filled with thousands of cards neatly indexed, messenger* hurrying to and fro, their hands full ol pink, blue, wiiite or green slips; through the wiudow warehouse upon warehouse, factory upon factory, railroad yards, round houses, continual shunting of long trains of freight cars, and a never-end-ing procession of great motor lorries, all blending into a huge industrial city. One of Britain's army supply bases, somewhere in France. Here is the heart of the wonderful war machine which Eng-

luuu, wuu iiic urn ui ncr tuyui cuiuiun, has built up in little more than a yeftr—i built up witli the utmost care and thoroughness in spite of incalculable difficulties, but it has been built, and there it is complete, a monument to the Sftrne spirit which has put millions of British subjects into the firing lines. Mobody could look on at the working of this organisation and accuse England of be. ing slow. The marvel is how it possibly could have been dono in so short a time. The Germans have been "out* Germaned" when it comes to thoroughness and efficiency. And now, after so many months' preparation, the power has been installed which is designed to help in pushing the gigantio British steam-roller over German opposition. When I say that the Germans have been beaten at their own game I mean that the British have all the power and organisation which the enemy has, plus facilities for obtaining certain supplies not available in Germany. There is no shortage of rubber or wheat, flour or sugar, at British bases. There is! »• shortage of anything, and, more than that, there are millions of pounds' worth of reserve supplies, which arc never touch, ed, and are only held against etnergenoy, Into and out of the maze of storehouses trains come and go as clockwork. Hitches are things of the past. The loading crews, tram hands, and men who man the motor lorries %t the rail-head near the lines work as a splendid well-oiled ma* chine. It is in this branch of the service that the Australian Motor Transport Division shines. Day after day mammoth trucks, operated and manned by hoya from overseas, grind their way from platfprras at the rail-head laden with food, clothing, . ammunition, to keep, "Tommy" going.

PRAISE FOR AUSTRALIANS. "Australians are the best of the lot on, the lorries," an officer told me to* day. "They have a remarkable capacity for hard work, and seem to possess excellent judgment when it is required in dealing with problems that .arise frequently. They have the qualities which are going to win this war— courage, judgment, and ability." Watching them I at work brought home the truth of the statement.

Tliev go about everything systematically, "team work" stands out, above all else. I timed the despatching of some of their lorries from the receiving station. Thero would be less than a minute's dift'eronco between the time consumed by one machine and another, even when there was considerable variance in the nature of the supplies handled. A shell-swept road has no terror* for them. They jolt through deep ruts and shell-holes with the same equanimity that they would roll over an asphalt | pavement, and physically they have no superiors in ths* British Army. • Certainly the Australians are popular with the commandants of the supply departments. The colonials have made a deep impression on the people at Headquarters, Up in the trenches the Canadians are among • the most aggressive fighters now on the lines. They are never satisfied to He idle in their shelters. If the Germano show a disposition to do so, the Canadians pester them with hand grenades and choice rhetoric until they arc into action. Looking on as a rank outsider and a neutral it is impossible to feel that the war is any way near an end. In any branch of the services the British preparations are going forward at top speed on a tremendous scale. Hospital facilities are being multiplied, also various establishments are specialising. All injuries of a like nature go to one place for treatment. Evidently the authorities do not expect to close their hospitals for it long time, for they have made elaborate preparations and con- , f duct them on what in civilian terms. , would be called a "paying basis." Kvery possible step has been taken to econo* mise, and in some instances expensive apparatus has been installed with the expectation that if will pay for itself in money saved; for example, in ono hospital there is a complete tinsmith's shop running in full blast. There empty biscuit tins are re-made into tin plates, pans, and drinking cups. Even the solder is melted down and used a second time. In fcet, the commandant told me they were :ib!o to make all tho. utensils needed and r.till had enough material left to supply other bases. A few months ego I had o.:i oppori.'nijy of seeing what German efficiency W:*.i like, I was much impressed, but my tour of tho British base end lines in France made a ten times greater impression. There io spirit plus* brains, . and I am convinced that cpiril Is what will give the Alta their lore-sought . . advantage.