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BACK TO THE SOMME.'

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BACK TO THE SOMME. A Visit to the Firing. Line. I I.—ON THE WAY. I By Councillor Ivor Gtvynne. I IT was my privilege to be appointed I < one of the delegates to attend the I International Labour Conference in Paris, and it may be said at once that it  was the most important and vital interna- tional conference ever held in the history of the Labour movement. It had been made I more important in view of the peace pro- posals made by the Central Powers, and it is satisfactory to observe that the voting showed a very large majority in favour of the continuance of the war until such time as the Allies have destroyed Prus- sian militarism, vindicated the rights of small nations to live. and for all time set up a barrier in "defence of national and international freedom and liberty. But it is not my intention to deal with the conference in my first article, inasmuch as I desire. to give an account of my visit to the Somme, It was arranged that a party of four should visit the Somme. We left Paris oa Boxing Day for Amiens, and having arrived there we were met by certain officers, and provided with cars to drive us to the fightirt line, which is twenty- four to twenty-six miles away. Amiens in a very interesting town, not quite so large as Swansea. Though at one time in the hands of the Germans for a few days, the main buildings remain untouched, and this notwithstanding the fact tha/t aero- planes often visit the place and drop bombs. The Germans passed through Amiens in September, 1914, in their ad- vance on to the Marne, when the French took the offensive and made the Ger- mans retre&t more quickly than they advanced. When the invaders retreated through Amiens on their return, the French were close upon their heels, yet those in command of the -city made the Mayor and twenty-five of the chief citizens prisoners, and insisted upon certain sums of money being paid them. They took away with them as much gold and silver as they could lay hands upon, and at-n-t the Mayor and the citizens to Germany. They are prisoners there to this day. The Germans left the city in such a hurry with the booty, that they must have for- gotten everything else. After going some distance they decided to return and blow up the bridgee,and with this object a small party, with a wagon of dynamite was sent back. But just as the party was approach- ing the city a French shell dropped upon the wagon, and, when the smoke had dis- appeared, there appeared to be nothing left of the party, wagon, or anything else! Amiens was saved, and the French were able to pass through the city in full pur- suit of the enemy. Any person who has visited Amiens can well understand what would have been the condition of things had the Germans suc- ceeded in destroying the bridges, and how hampered the French Army would have been in their onward rush from the Marne. This is the nearest large city to the Somme. The Nord Railway main line runs through between Paris and Boulogne, and at present the city ie a hive of activity We were very much struck with the buildings in Amiens, and felt grateful that it had not suffered the fate of many of the other towns and villages we Ind passed through nearer the firing line. The road leading out from Amiens to Albert is in fairly good condition until you come to a point at which a few other roads emerge into it; for the remainder of tie journey the road is much broken up as compared with our own roads. But when we remem- ber the heavv and continuous traffic that I' passes over the road, the great mystery is ,that the roads are kept 610 well. It is very difficult for one living in Great Britain to have tho slightest conception of what this traffic means. We have millions of men in France; all have to be fed; and the supply of ammunition is enormous. Then there is the bringing up of heavy artillery in addition to the small arms; for some distance from the firing line they have to be conveyed by road by huge motor lorries, or drawn by horses or mules. Some distance from the lines the visitor begins to find the wheels of the lorries caked with mud. It is at this stage that the moans of transit become more difficult. Everything and everybody is covered with mud. The land being of a chalky nature, it is very difficult to keep the roads in repair; in fact, the stone which is used as road macadam has to be brought from other parte of the country or imported into France. In addition we have to bear in mind that much of the ground they have to pass over has been under a most terrible bombardment. I had the opportunity of passing over a part of this road in January of last year, and I saw that the great advance has made its mark upon it. As we drove along we saw batches of German prisoners repairing the roads; I should imagine we passe d at least a thou-I sand of them. There they are, every few hundred yards, under the command o?.a British non-commissioned offioer. They ap- I peared to be well diyssed, and looked j physically very fit. I was very much im- pressed by the large number of young lads among them. They could not be more than 15 years of age. They did not seem to be in the least despondent, and, while they drew up to attention and saluted as we passed, I could not but feel that they had inst come through an ordeal nn-I paralleled in the history of the world. They were the men of that race that will for generations be knojvn for their cruelty and barbarity, the race who had ignored their obligation to smaller nations, destroyed Belgium, ruined the north of France, had trampled under foot that wlhich was best and most eacred in the eyes of those nations. slain and murdered their infants and aH folk, and dishonoured and disgraced their women. Will these men. when they re- turn to their home6, ever permit an Emperor who has been guilty of such crimes on land, again to rule over them after what they have suffered ? Who knows! If it were at all possible to read anything in those faces as we passed them, we fancied it was that they were thank- ful they had been spared from the terrible fire that must have raged on the Somme I during the advance of the British forces. If I could believe that our prisoners IIIn Germany were being oared for in a like manner, and that they were so well clothed and fed as the pris- oners I met, I should not be inclined to be anxious about their condition in the German camps. There did not appear to be any attempt to rush thean; they were 1 left to work at their mm.

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