PAGE TWELVE. ° -. THE DAILY BRITTdIT wrrrevn EE ------------------ TUESDAY, AUCUST I Ns ------------ TRAGEDY OF POLAND WITHOUT A PARALLEL " War Devastates Territory Ordin- arily Inhabited by Nearly Ten Millions of Souls to a Greater Extent Even Than Belgium. Of all the regions suffering from the war Poland not only is the worst suf- ferar, but will require more time to recover, says the correspondent of the Associated Press in Warsaw. The case of the Belgians is plainly not so bad as the case of the Polanders. In comparison the Belgians had an easy time in escaping the horrors of war by fiight to England and France. In Belgium the sweep of war was swift and final, while with the Polanders it has been always a matter of being: awepl in one direction and then the other. The area and population af- fected in Poland are more than ten times those of Belgium, considering both the kingdom of Poland in Russia and Galicia, Austrian Poland, 'equally devastated by the war. While at least three large relief committees are at work they 'have been handicapped by the fact that the war has been waged actively there ever cince the Euro- pean conflict began, and becomes tlercer as time passes. Of the eleven provinces or govern- ments of the kingdom of Poland only one, the province of Siedloe, has es- caped Invasion. The devastated terri- tory amounts to more than 40,000 square miles, in-which 200 cities and towns and 9,000 villages have been partially or entirely destroyed. Five thousand villages have been razed to the ground. Railroad tracks for a distance of 1,000 miles have been torm up. The soil has been réndered unfit for tilling by innumerable trenches and big holes bored into it by heavy projectiies. The agricultural production of this part of Poland, representing $600,000,000 a year, has been stopped in its entlrey for lack of funds. seeds, farmhaids, and cattle. An agricultural population of 7,000, 000 has been starvir: in the early win. ter of 1935. The peaple hide themselves in forests or under the ruins of their former dwellings, having as food only roots, bark, rind, and decaying car- cases of horses killed on the battle fields. The fate of cities and industrial regions is no better. The City of Kalisz, which before the war had a population of nearly 80,000, numbers now 10,000 inhabitants. W, w, twice as large as Brussels, wlors over 200,000 refugees. The city of Lodz (500,000 inhabitants), the centre of the great Polish textile industry, twice captured by the Russian and German armies, looks like a cemetery. Important industrial centre like Chen- stohova, Sosnoviec and the coal basin of Dombrova have shared thé same fate. The industrial output of Poland, valued at $400,000,000 a year, has been annihilated -and 'three million factory and mine workers are starving. The coal mines, though not in the fighting sone, have been flooded by the Ger. mans for strategical reasons and all the costly machinery destroyed. : The total of material losses is $700, 000,000. Out of a total of 1,600,000 horses in the Warsaw district 800,000 have been requisitioned by both fight- ing armies. ., Not less than 2,000,000 cattle have been confiscated for the same purpose. Milk is rare and the mortality among infants shows a ter. rific increase. Sanitary conditions are worse than deplorable. The total of material losses is $79, 000,000. Out of a total of 1,600,000 horses in the Warsaw district 800, 000 have requisition: ° by both fight- ing armies. Not leas than 2,000,000 cattle have been confiscated for the same purpose. Milk is rare and the mortality among infants shows a ter rific increase. Sanitary conditiors are worse than d | earthquake times. 2,600 villages have disappear ed. ' Eight hundred thousand horses and 1,600,00 cattle have been taken away by the armies, as well as al- most all provisions. like corn, pota- toes and fodder. The total agricul- tural production of Galicia, valued at $200,000,000 yearly, and the industrial output of some $100,000,000 per an- num, have been destroyed. Over a million Galicians are actually living as refugees in various parts of Aus tria-Hufigary and are suffering there severely. The countries of Cieszanov and Dovromil in Eastern Galicia and those of Lancut, Przeworsk, Nisko, Tarnobrzeg, Jasio, and Krosno in Western Galicia are 'so thoroughly devastated that they look as if they had been destroyed by some terrific Of the total area of Gal- icia only 7 per cent. has been untouch- ed by the war, 23 per cent. has been partially and 70 per cent. totally ruin- ed. The devastation is the worst be- tween Lodz and YVarsaw. | THE KMSERS SNEER | The strained relations between the Queen of Italy and the Kaiserin no doubt had something to do with the hastening of Italy into the war. Vic- tor Emmanuel's consort has never for- gotten the sneer of the German Em- press when she married Italy's King. The Kaiserin had set her heart upon securing him for one of her sisters, but Victor Emmanuel would have nothing to do with any German prin- cess and married Princess Helene of Montenegro, to the Kalserin's intense chagrin. On the betrothal being announced, the Kalser made one of his refined jokes to the effect that the Princess Helene's grandmother was but a street vagabond peddling chestnuts. The sneer delighted the Empress, who re. peated it everywhere. In due time it reached the ears of the future Queen of Italy, and ever since the relations between the two courts, never very cordial, have been more or less strain- [8 BARBED WIRE FORESTS Mean Certain Death Without High Explosives in Modern War In the Russo-Japanese and Balkan Wars barbed wire played a big part, although it was heavy to carry about. But the stuff has attained its full and frightful significance in the present upheaval. It is often electrified, as at Liege, where the heroic General Lem- an passed a current of 1,500 volts through his maze of strands--a per- fect net of shock and electrocution which distant gunners sprayed with shrapnel till the trap was a shambles from which the stoutest-hearted turn- ed away. All manner of devices are now employed to deal with barbed wire. Plers and cutters are not much use; 80 per cent. of the volun- teers for this work never come back Hooked javelin are thrown, with cables at the end, enabling the as- sallants to drag the wire away--a real "tug o" war." Rockets, too, are used, with lines attached for hauling. But high-explosive shell is, after all, the best means of tearing wire away where it exists along a wide front, and is deep and high--a forest of death which defies all valour, by reas- on of the hurricane of fire behind it, and the impossibility of tearing it down by hand and passing through. ------------ A Noted British Soldier General Sir lan Hamilton is a na tive of Greece, having been born in Serie at a time when the British were bossession of the Ionian islands. Sir lan is a- "Kitchener man" having served with the Sirdar in Egypt and in India. He was with Ro- berts in the A _| clan, also exercises considerable in- South African bat. 1881, % Inquisitor For Austria 9 . One of the heavy guns in the St. Au branches of trees. ELDER STATESMEN OF JAPAN ARE MASTERS Four Wonderful Veterans Are Powers Behind Mikado--Théir Cautious Foreign Poliey Genro or Elder Statesman is a name given to the group of old statesmen who served the oH and the Jap- anese State during fifty years without Intermission Min important posts, All of them are men of patriotic senti- ment, of original genius, and of an enterprising spirit. They have lived to see that great restoration of Im- perial complete, and to see the coun- try rise from an insignificant Oriental State to a first-class power. The influence which these statesmen command in Japanese polities is far stronger and their popularity is a little greater than is usually admitted by the "yellow" papers. The last four to remain were Prince Marshal Yamagata, Marcuis - Inouye, Marquis Matsugata, and Prince Marshal Oya- ma. Of these four, Marshal Oyama Is a simple warrior renonnwned for great services as the highest field com- mander in the Chino-Japanese war and" the Russo-Japanese war. But like all the others he has wielded steadily an enonrmous influence. By War and Finance Prince - Marshal Yamagata, the president of the Privy Council, belong- ing to the great mflitary clan of Cho shu, has long been the most influential general and statesman of Japan. His influence in army circles has been un- paralleled, second only to that of the Emperor himself. » Next comes Marquis Inouye, who has outlived his vigor of body, fat not of mind. 'He is also from the Choshu cla. In restoration days his stand in favor of the "open door" caused him to be attacked one night outside his house and badly wounded. Marquis [Inouye commanded the same influence in the. Japanese * financial worid as Yamagata in the military circles. Old Japanese firms were like river boats suddenly dashed out to the high seas when western methods found sway ia Japan. The largest of these, the group of the Mitsui family, was saved by Marquis Inouye, whose influence was already firmly established in the Gov- ernment. Several other old firms were similarly succored. Marquis Matsurgata, who is from the Satsu..a fluence in the financial world. Strong as the Emperor Now comes the question how much inf these old men had. Inasmuch a8 thelr influence was derived politic- bin region concealed in a dug-out covered in front and above by interlaced A A A A A A AI A AAA A A dm A A to the measure of sway the Emperor commands over the people. They have become now and then the target of press attacks, the object of popular fury artificially fanned by the anti genro papers. Their position has stood nevertheless firm and unshaken, One of the most important branches of politics about which the elder Jap- anese men occupied themselves in former days was negotiations ith foreign powers. Constaut intimidation, threats and menaces worried them al- most to death at the possible approach of a national calamity. This las left indelible impression in their memory of the troubled past. They still enter- tain a vague fear of Europeans, To them Europeans appear greater and wiser than the Japgnese, ~ The case is different with young statesmen. There i8 ~onsequently a tendency among the young statesmen to preach rather high-handed measures in diplo- matic relations, while they "are as a rule constantly fettered and tram- melled by orders from the genro. SNOBBISHNESS DIES War Showing True Values in Life, Rejoices London Paper Zwo things are of good augury for the future, says a London Daily Graphic writer. The first is the re- markable disappearance during these times of war of all traces of snobbish. ness from among us. Snobbishness is one of our besetting sins; it implies the worship of wealth, and where it prevails a false tone is given to all intercourse, a false direction to the expenditure of money, to production _ to many activities of life. " This snobbishness is disappearing save among a few individuals who are to be found in every age and countty, The men and women of the new generation will be poor in this world's wealth--it will take many years to pay off the cost of the war--thelr hearts will be heavy with the remem- brance of the suffering and agony of our present conflict, but, they will be spared many of our errors and dis appointments, and they will' see more clearly than we have done what things are most truly valuable in life, f Better Than In 1870 In a frank review of the conditions faced throughout the present war by Germany and contributed to the Ber liner Tageblatt, Major Moraht saya: "It must be admitted that the French have used every conceivable variation of tacties. They have tried to sur. prise us, to mislead us, to beat us hand-to-hand fights, and to overwhelm us by masses. What the French .in the campaign of 1870 avoided in BRILLIANT SCHOLAR ~ IS FIRST SEA LORD Sir Henry Jackson Shares Marconi's Invention--Modest and Learned-- Looks Anything But Sailor A man of sixty, with the slight fig- ure, erect carriage, and quick, ner vous walk of half lis years: with a clear-cut, clever, clean-shaven face and keen eyes which take in every- thing at a glance. Such in appear. ance is Sir Henry Bradwardine Jack. Son when he stepped unexpectedly into Lord Fisher': shoes as ruler of the world's greatest navy in the world's greatest war. Nowhere in the King's fleet will you find a man who so little suggests the typical sailor. Out "of his uniform he might be a fashignable physician, a diplomatist, or a lawyer of distinction. His voice is gentle, his manners are the perfec: tion of courtliness. Nearly fifty years had gone since Cadet Henry Jackson first set foot on the Britan- nia--a delicate-looking, fair-ha boy fresh from Stubbington School and his home in Yorkshire--and for forty of these years he was scarcely even a name to the outside world. But the navy knew him as a man who would certainly reach the topmost rungs of the ladder some day. Renowned in Youth "He was," a fellow-middy said, "by far the smartest boy of his time, a perfect glutton for work, with a posi- tive genius for mathematics, yet so modest and so amiable that we were all as pleased at his success as if It were our own. But though he was always a fine sailor, he was first and foremost § student. What he didn't know, even as a young man, about electricity wasn't worth knowing; and as a lieutenant he was already recognized as the principal torpedo- expert in the navy. But, neverthe- less, he had to wait nearly thi years before he reached captain rank, when he was in charge of the torpedo-school ship Defiance." Fisher's Cholce For some time before his appoint. ment to the Deflance, Commander Jackann had heen exnarimantine with Hertzian waves; and while Signor Marconi was still groping after the secret of wireless telegraphy, the un- known naval officer had been able. to send aerial signals and from one end of his ship to the oth- . FR aval War it HEE ul g 7 § i Fora - ing themselves--simply because it is LONG WAY OF WOUNDED _ ~ 10 ENGLISH HOSPITALS Marvellously Organized is Work of of the Good Samaritans is a Huge One--Several to Journey From Battlefield alnaeia wor The removal of the wounded from... out of the firing line is one of the many problems in any .war; in this the greatest of all wars; the problem is of gigantic magnitude. Still, the Royal Army Medical Corps tackle it Magnificently and, in conjunction with the stretcher-bearers of the different regiments, achieve astonishingly suc- ceseful results. The ~ost of that suo cess is occasionally apparent to all who scan the casualty lists 3 the daily papers. But despite the heroism of medical officers, orderlies, and stretcher-bear ers, many men are- killed aTer they are wounded---and incapable of assist a sheer impossibility immediately to remove tham out of the danger zone. The reason generally for this is that when battles are terribly fierce, and casualties 'erribly high, the capacities of the orderlies and stretcher-bearers are taxed to the utmost limit--and beyond it! 'Very often the flerceness of the enemy's fire prevents a wound- ed man from being picked up for some considerable time. However, when the ntensity of the battle does not prevent it, the men who fall badly wounded usually re ceive immediate attention from their comrades. That attention, though, is of necessity very slight; it consists of applying the first-aid dresing to the wound. Every soldier carries. two of these dressings in his pocket. "Unlucky" Wounded As soon as possible the good Sam- aritan stretcher-bearers reach the wounded. The - "luckiest" wounded are of course those nearest the stret. cher-bearers' starting point. The most unfortunate wounded ure - those left behind when a slight retirement takes place--when, say, two or three uun- dred yards has been given away. Those poor fellows, if the enemy occupy the conceded ground, naturally fall into the enemy's hands. If the enemy does not occupy the ground those wounded have to remain until dark. ness falls-to give the stretcher-bearers an opportunity of bringing them in. But, more often than not, the enemy continuously sweeps that particular patch of ground with rifle and machine gun fire during the night. By Many Stages When a man is picked up by the Stretcher-bearers he is taken to what is called the regimental aid post. This post is anything near the field of battle which affords protection from the enemy's fire, There the medical officer attached to his particular regi- Fahey % Medical Corps, But ths Tal " & nl ment examines the. patient and dresses the wound. The next journéy is om | an ambulance wagon--generally «1 borse ambulance, sometimes an or | dinary spring cart (without springs, | perhaps)--and in it the wounded man | 1s teken to the Divisional Field Am. ' bulance tant some two or three miles | away. The wound is again dressed, ' and an injection is given the wounded | man 'in order to prevent tetanus | Uockjaw). As s00n as vehicles are available-- he is given another journey; pen! haps a mile, perhaps five miles, to,! usually the nearest convenient church, school or convent. Here he gets some! thing to eat and a very welcome rest. Here, it a immediate cperation is es- sential for his lifé's sake, clever sur ons will, with the most impromptu of appliances, perform it. The next stage of the journeyings is taken in one of the motor ambu- lances to oné of the casualty clearing stations. These are really hospitals in every snse of the word except that, necessarily, their sjtuation and fur nishing varies acc rding to circum. stances. These clearing stations are, usually, anything from twenty to fifty miles or more, from the firing line, and it is in one of them that the wounded soldier, first comes under the care of the nursing sisters. It is also the first time since leaving England, that he has the pleasure of again sleeping in a bed. Sometimes, ir the course of a few days, anything between 300 and 600. men pass through = station. ° ' Improving All the Way From the clearing station an am-. bulance train conveys the wounded man a little bit wearer "Blighty™ (Tommy's name for England). The, ambulance train is a moving hospital, It is fitted up with every possible re-' gard for the suffering passengers ft; bears as freight. There is an ade quate staff of doctors, orderlies, and nursing sisters on board each train. Some of these hospital trains--those which have been specially built for the purpose since the war began--are most luxuriously fitted. From the train to a base hospital, or, perhaps, if accommodation is available, straight on to the hospital-ship, the wounded warrior is then transferred. If his wound is only of a slight character the soldier, of course; is not sent to England, but kept in the base hospital until he recovers, He is then sent back to the firing line. Otherwise he goes by hospitalship and train to the British hospitals. The Submarine Warfare Now Engages Thousands Under-water Boats Have Increas. ed Wonderfully Both in Point of Size and mense Fleets in Use. Much as the Shiatine, the tor pedo, and the mine are discussed, few save those mm ed with i ; a § bis edifs £ i i i i i : i E i j 4 i + is # him: do is itself a submarine The extreme effective range has risen from 4,000 yards at 18 to 7.000 yards at 45 knots or yards at $0 knots, ---------------- | Russ Tommy's numoR_ The Princess Amelia Rives, knots 11,000 on ---- aman amen dier, at the end of the 1915 winter campaign, was invalided home, his aged master, that he done well in the trenches, sald "Well, Ivag, 1 have had reports of you. Tell mp what you would like me to give you work." -