Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 150, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 June 1915 — SOLDIERS' CLOTHES BIG WAR PROBLEM [ARTICLE]

SOLDIERS' CLOTHES BIG WAR PROBLEM

France Has Had Difficulty In Supply- - log Her 4,000,000 Men. *•*•«&■*— Paris. —When France comes to add up the cost of the present war one of the principal items will be found to be the money paid out for the uniforms, underwear and shoes of her soldiers. Nearly 4,000,000 men are under arms, and campaign conditions lead to a wear and tear of clothing far In excess of that which prevails In ordinary tactics. The beginning of hostilities found the government lamentably short of uniforms. Successive regimes In the war department had been a little too economical, and the stock was barely sufficient to clothe the men who responded to the first mobilization call. There were very few uniforms for the Territorials and none for the new elaeses of 1914 and 1915. It was necessary to set an army of tailors to work on an overtime basis and scour the world for cloth with which to keep them busy turning out these much needed uniforms. According to the figures prepared by a competent authority, the army needs nob lees than 100,090 meters of cloth per day, whereas the normal production of French mills before the war war 4;000 meters About 50,000 pairs of shoes peTCmy are required, while ehirts and drawers take 16,000,900 meters of material per month. Haversacks and belts mast be replaced to the tune of .more than a million per month. At least a million and a half new canq> utensils are needed every month.