Salt Lake Telegram | 1932-05-02 | Page 4 | Bulgarian "Army' Uses Picks and Shovels instead of Gun

Bulgarian garian I Army Uses Picks And Shovels Instead of GUI I By MILTON 1 BRONNER RONNER NEA Service European Manager l LONDON May 2 The 2 The close of the World war and the si signing of the peace pence treaties hit Bulgaria about aboul as ashard ashard ashard I hard as any of oC the conquered coun coun- tries It was forced to yield Thrace to Greece and another mother slice of territory I to It lost its seaports But the thing that fell as hard upon I the Bulgarians as anything else was the restriction as to its armed forces Before the war conscription was the rule and Bulgaria had a peace army of and a war footing of Under the peace treaty the army had to be made up of volunteers and the I number was strictly sh limited to It was not only a terrible blow to the pride of the thc people but the government government gov gov- ov sorely missed the discipline and education it was enabled to impart impart impart im im- im- im part to the raw peasant youths who heretofore had been called up to the colors willy But in 1920 the then Premier Stain Stam- later assassinated had assassinated had a great idea l If his country could not have ha a big army armed with rifles machine guns and hand grenades there was nothing in m the treaty to prevent his country having nn an army armed with picks shovels spades and hatchets saws and hammers screw drivers and plyers So he put into effect a compulsory labor law Under this the youth of oC the nation was to be conscripted for fora a peace time labor abor army Just as in conscription countries the youths of a certain age are arc called up for the regular army and the rest of or the bodied able-bodied manhood for a period period pe pe- pe- pe nod of training every year so Bulgaria Bulgaria Bulgaria Bul Bul- garia docs does with its labor arm army Every youth when he attains 18 has to serve for eight months in the army Every adult Bulgarian has to serve 21 days For the past few years this compulsory compulsory sory labor scheme has shown a balance balance bal bal- ance on the thc right side of the ledger When the young men get the notice that they are due for enlistment in inthe inthe inthe the labor army armr they go to camps where they are arc given a few we we drill to accustom them to disc pl They a ace aze e given a gray uniform aa a w wa a cap bearing bearin the legend legend Work Work Bulgaria They arc are given no t p but are of course fed clothed i housed by the state They have their own special fland fiand fl fi and bands and working songs As far as possible they are m supporting self to cut down the theto c to the state Thus they work Ui th own gardens for fore e vegetables s. b k their own bread and have their o a cooks Under officers who are experts they build state slate main highways bridges and oil buildings the state needs They el tl swamp lands and make them fit agriculture They equip towns V VI water and electric light plants The result is that when the they hi ii served their time and return to th tb own little farms ms arms they are arc in all kinds of useful things and n In better farmers and better citizen So far the thing has worked en well King Boris h has haj s d th his best to popularize this army traveling from camp to camp i impressing upon the conscripts t i they are arc helping their little coun cons to lift itself up from the mire i which it was plunged ed b by an nazi war var I