an efficient organization
before into a still more efficient one. In that case the spirit of the
branch remained, it carried on as a military institution but with a
free hand and with extended liberty of action--and the public service
benefited although the cost was considerably greater. But that was not
always the procedure decided upon.

Whatever procedure was decided upon, every care was taken to
advertise. Advertisement is an art that the Man of Business thoroughly
understands, and as to which he has little to learn even from the
politician with a Press syndicate at his back. Soldiers are deplorably
apathetic in this respect. It will hardly be believed that during the
war the military department charged with works and construction often
left the immediate supervision of the creation of some set of
buildings in the hands of a single foreman of works, acting under an
officer of Royal Engineers who only paid a visit daily as he would
have several other duties of the same nature to perform. But if that
set of buildings under construction came to be transferred to a
civilian department or branch--the Ministry of Munitions, let us
say--a large staff of supervisors of all kinds was at once introduced.
Offices for them to carry on their supervisory duties in were erected.
The thing was done in style, employment was given to a number of
worthy people at the public expense, and it is quite possible that the
supervisory duties were carried on no less efficiently than they had
previously been by the foreman of works, visited daily by the officer
of Royal Engineers.

From the outbreak of war and for nearly two years afterwards, the
headquarters administration of the supply branch of our armies in all
theatres except Mesopotamia and East Africa was carried out at the War
Office by one director, five military assistants and some thirty
clerks, together with one "permanent official" civilian aided by
half-a-dozen assistants and about thirty clerks. It administered and
controlled and supervised the obtaining and distribution of all
requirements in food and forage, as also of fuel, petrol,
disinfectants, and special hospital comforts, not only for the armies
in the field but also for the troops in the United Kingdom. This meant
an expenditure which by the end of the two years had increased to
about half a million sterling per diem. Affiliated to this branch, as
being under the same director, was the headquarters administration of