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Show ALL GERMANY AT WORK TO SURPASS THE ALLIES IN 1917 Many Thousand Guns Being Made Each Week Under the Universal Labor Service Law. BERLIN, Jan. 1, by wireless to the Associated Press yia Sayville. Many thousand guns per week is reported to be the measure of the mighty manufacturing effort which Germany is now making for the campaign of 1917 an effort upon which tho entire manhood force of the nation which can be spared from the front and their regular occupations is being concentrated under First Quartermaster Quar-termaster General Yon Ludendorf's universal uni-versal labor service law. Counting four months before the probable prob-able renewal of the world war in full vigor on all fronts, these figures mean a new immense supply of cannon of all calibers, tield guns up to the gigantic howitzers, to meet the admittedly gigantic gigan-tic effort which Uic entente allies are expected ex-pected to make. Along with these guns the German factories fac-tories are turning out correspondingly stupendous quantities of ammunition, and the production of machine guns, each of Which virtually replaces a platoon of men, has been placed on a scale far beyond that of the past year. The campaign of 1917, it is already evident, evi-dent, will be fought as a wide extension and development ot the Somme battle, with even a heavier concentration of artillery ar-tillery over a far wider front and with lines literally bristling with machine'guns. Confidence that their opponents wilt be unable to break through Is expressed not only by the high commanders, but also manifested right down into the ranks of the common people. Brought From Front. To produce great masses of war material ma-terial thousands of skilled men have been brought and are being brought back from the front and placed in the Xrupp and other munition factories. Another expected development of 1917 is a change in Che center of gravity on the western front. The Somme battle has swept its way Into comparative quietude, and while the military experts here naturally nat-urally are unable to predict with certainty certain-ty the plans of the Anglo-French leaders, recent advices point to a transfer of the entente allies' main efforts to another region, re-gion, most likely that of Verdun, while the French energies recently liave been concentrated on extending to its original size the sally port west of the Meusc the most obvious point as that nearest the heart of Germany for the effort to roll back the tide of Invasion, or In case of minor success, a point whence operations oper-ations into the rich iron fields would be possible. Experts Confident. Military experts here point out that the employment of British troops in largo numbers at this point would be hampered by great transportation difficulties and assert that the French reserves are inadequate in-adequate for any great unsupported effort. They express the fullest confidence that, the balance of artillery strength fully restored, re-stored, as they expect it to be by spring, Germany will be able to prevent any serious seri-ous advance at this salient. Tho New Year, as far as Internal con-dillons con-dillons are concerned, will be a year of privations. The Increased harvest of grains Is offset by a disappointing, potato crop, so that despite the food supplies captured In Rumania, no prospect of an j increase in the total ration can be held 1 out for the present, though perhaps later it may be found possible to provide an ex- j tra allowance of meat. j Rations Adequate. Dietary experts declare, however, that j the present ration is entirely adequate ! to support life and maintain working ' vigor, except in the ca-se of those occupied j in heavy work, for whom special pro- i vision is now7 being made under the appeal ap-peal of Field Marshal Von 7-Iindenburg to the rural population for contributions. It is maintained that while life within the blockade may possibly become increasingly increasing-ly unpleasant, tho military efficiency of Germany will not bo diminished. In foreign affairs the new year, of course, dawns under a sign of peace overtures. over-tures. The entente's official reply thereto there-to has not yet been received, but little expectation is entertained here that it will be favorable, or, that, even assisted by the United States-and other neutrals, the peace movement will, for the present, have tangible results. There is considerable consider-able discussion regarding Germany's probable prob-able plans in case of an expected positive refusal of the entente powers to enter upon a conference. |