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Show k fill DF LILLE v II I HUES - Great French Manufactur-r Manufactur-r ing Center One of Present Pres-ent Main Objectives. Capture of Lens Another Important Factor in Prosecution Prose-cution of the War. By SAM V. SMALL, XR., Staff Correspond fcut Universal Service. ASHING TON. Sept. S. - Kvory yaril ef t I'.e al!Ut troops' advance on the western west-ern front, i-.vna'ly to anJ Nyoiul the i luitMi Mil's Uiu n.akes lighter th bur- j yf the I'mtoit Stales In the :r. 4 e mo oa vu tit I has xreatoi or higher 1 h;e of an early military lieoislon th$t 1 m,l b nothing short of a disaster to i ts (.itrninn war maehtito than Wiishins- " ton, the eoonomii victories that are boms registered aUr.osi dally by tho reooery o! to: r.iin from Genran oevu ration ara of iaramou:it i'mrliate interest to Msh j o.:u :a is 'here w -.o are play ins a larse jrart in the winning of the war. 01ia:r:v.an I-iard N. Hurley, of the Vtv.uM States shipping; hoard, finds a real ar.J telling victory almost daily In i tie progress of the American, British and French troops. The lines, aa they creep forward and envelop a town or & district, siy'.I more to nun than to the patriotic cuuen who sees in the advance the demonstration dem-onstration of the courage and superiority of the allied troops and the master strategy of Oeneraiisimo Koch, which rr.::s: linally brins triumph and victory over theGerman arms. Make False Claim. The German high eoinrr.and, w nich rr;uie tlie supreme e::ort and sacrifice at ihe reckless exrenditure of the lives of their troops to sain the territory which they are now sullenly evacuating, now put forward the false claim that the reeon- quered territory, and that lying just be yond the present German line, is so withered with-ered by the flame of battle, and barren c :" resources as to bo of no value to thernselveor the allies. Chairman Hurley, faced by the stupendous stupen-dous task of lindirs shipping to transport j :: t;;e army of aV'O.OoO Americans to France, to support that army and to supply food ar.d munitions to the aiiies. finds new and reeded strength for the allies in almost every foot of reconquered territory, ro mat:er how- the Huns have taid it waste. Coal for the Allies. The capture of Lens, if it has not al-1 al-1 ready teen accomplished, is a nmtter of a few cays, and that will bring the ccai.h-earinsr lands of that territory within the alhed lines. That means the release of shipping now employed to transport coal from wales to trance, a necessity! thVLrese through occupation by the Ger- j "J of rich coal and iron producing re- jons of France. j .-.y.Q, Not far back of the Hindenbunr line. d in the direction pointed by the Iges row being hammered home by the ;r ..:ed troops, lie rich coal and ore fields. natural centers of w ar industry and of Y-:. way communication. If these, too, as 3Pc'TTls possible, fail into the hands of thillied troops in the present drive, one of re greatest problems of the war will - have been solved for the allies, and its , burden thrown upon the German high command, which will have to lengthen -' its lines of communication aJ ready severely se-verely harassed by the ai rf.ee ts of the enemy, and wi!l mark the first great ": failure of its well-laid plans of conquest, j l Situation Changing. The situation is rapidly changing. Amer-ica Amer-ica is furnishing the man-power needed ; : the submarines are gradually being con- - quered; France can release from her fienting lines men to dig coal and iron, to man war industries and till the fields, and the tonnage that has been supplying the necessary raw materials will be re-.: re-.: !esed for the longer routes of trade that ,.: will bring ample supplies of food and war material from remoter countries open only to the allies, and will permit the United spates to husband her resources for her own fighting forces and for the people at home. The taking of Lille will be the master stroke of this all-important e"onomio sid of the present campaign, .and by Chairman Chair-man Huriey and other high officials in Washington will be regarded as a great and final victory, as the greater military disaster to Germany which it will bring ntarer than ever before. |