BACK FROM FRANCE

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXII, 24 October 1916, Page 5

BACK FROM FRANCE

A NEW ZEALANDER'S VIEWS

RUSSIA'S IMMENSE RESERVES

Mr. J. B. Clarkson, well known in "Wellington and Chiistchurch as a man of business, recently returned, by the mail steamer from Vancouver, after having visited the United States, England, and France. "To my; understanding" (said Mr. Clarkson in conversation with, an/ Auckland Star reporter), "France is calmly confident of victory. Prance (has, of dourse, lost heavily during the war, but none the less I saw evidence on every hand of calm confidence in the ultimate victory for the Allies. Industrial work in France is being carried on largely with the help of Algerian labour, and I am glad to state that th.c output of munitions is steadily increasing! One sees everywhere large numbers of troops, but it is very evident : that they are not on the average as well cared for as our own soldiers. The British look after the men better. Tommy is well fed and well cared for. I have seen French troops lying on the platform at the railway stations at night, and upon asking the 'reason was informed that they were awaiting instructions that would probably come in ' the middle of the night. To my mind, i the French hospital system is not equal j to that of the British, but it has been severely taxed, of course. I inspected , a large tyre factory in France which, i notwithstanding the war, is to-day able to turn out enough stock to cater for ■ its world trade, and a lot of munitions !as well. As an instance of the patriotism of the firm I may also mention j that it has fitted up one large factory as a hospital, and maintains at its own expense three hundred wounded soldiers there. The labour in this firm's factories is to a great extent Algerian. : " One thing I was very glad to learn j was that France was likely to have j the best harvest this season it has had ! for many years past. Released soldiers and Algerians were engaged in harvesting operations when I was there last. j I was struck with the fact that in 1 travelling 400 miles through agricultural country I did not see one reaper and binder at work, which points to ! French farmers not being up to date in . their, methods. This, of course, means i more labor required for harvesting. I was over the battlefields of Mons and th.c Marne, but these have been frequently described already. "A most important piece of infori mation was given me by ~a French ! official who had just returned from Petrograd. It was that Russia has eighteen million m.en called up for service, who otfly lack arms and ammunition to enable them being sent to the i front. Great Britain and the United States are both furnishing these reI quirements as quickly as possible. It was also stated to me by this official that Russia can call out a total of 23 million men for active service, so I that -Miere is no danger of any shortage of soldiers on the Eastern front. Of this vasti reserve, Russia has as yet only svbont five millions of men," said 1 Mr. Olaa-kson in conclusion.