The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-10-13
THE GOVERNMENT AT Work
THE WAR DEPARTMENT
By FREDERIC J. HASKIM

under Its supervision private contract.
ors do the work required In improyikx
the rivers and harbors. More than
$50, 100000 q year IL expended In river
and harbor improvements and mainte.
nance. II the program of the River
and Harbor Congress 10 carried out
the engineer corps Will be the busiest
set or men In the government service.
The work of the Quartermasters de-
partment. carrying with II the task Of
Quartering and eQuipping the regular
army at all times. and the national
guard during encampment seasons, re-
quires the expenditure OF from S96.-
00O. 900 to 100000 per year. Il hss
eighteen ocean-goin9 steamers, or
transports. q number OF mine plant
ers, and enough other vessels Of var.
ious descriptions to equip q small
navy. II spends about $4,000 q year
for newspapers and magazines for the
troops In the army. II has supervis.
ION OF the 81 national cemeteries n
the United States. where $4,000 sob
dlers lie buriad.
The commissary department issues
30,00O,000 rations year, costing an
proximately FL cents each. II has q
full equipment OF fireless cookers. and
has established school for bakers
and cooks. Here the men who are TO
prepare the food OF the army are In
stated into the mysteries of the arts
OF baking and cooking. For an army
OF 100000 men there Is required for
each days rations 80 tons OF meat, 80
tons OF bread, 80 tons OF potatoes and
Az tons OF other food. 30 that the task
or the commissary-general Ii not Z
small one. Experience has taught that
the feeding OF an army IL one OF the
nrst essentials TO It's efficiency In the
held, and the war department II striv-
Ing to be prepared to furnish the best
or commissary service In case Of war.
The office OF the adjutant-general
is one OF the busiest In the depart
ment. Although recent legislation has
shorn the Acknowledgement Of the milf
tary duties formerly pertaining to his
ONCE, IL has left him much to do. He
has charge OF the recruiting service.
Last year there were l26 recruiting
stations open for business. and $4,000
applications for enlistment IN the
army were received. or these about
10000 were accepted. or the $4,000
applicants, $4,000 were attracted BY
advertising In one form or another.
The Acknowledgement also keeps q card
index system In which IL recorded full
data about the army service and the
men who constitute II. That this d.
Ia Is complete IL shown by the fact
that there are 100000 military cards
and 100000 medical cards. These
are being added to at the rate e
more than 100000 year.
The signal corps OF the army makes
use OF every possible advance IN
science and invention In its efforts to
render efficient service In case Of war.
It employs wireless telegraphy, wlro-
less telephony and aeronautics. Il II
a great believer In the adaptability of
airships In the solution Of the brob-
lens Of war. They can be- used To
gain information about harbors ana
Notifications Of other countries, 70 %
troll and guard the frontiers, for pur>
poses OF reconnaissance, for cayrying
dispatches, signaling to wireless stu
tons. directing the frc Of friendly Ar.
tillery and drawing that Of hostile
guns, attacking enemy's base line, de-
stroying stores. railways and other
communications. making night attacks
with bombs, destroying submarines,
and locating mines. Experiments are
now being made looking to the mount
ing Of light artillery in automobiles
for the purpose OF repelling attacks
OF aerial fleets.
The medical department of the
army is one OF the most useful OF the
war departments activities In time Of
peace. Many OF the most valuable
lessons learned by medical science In
the past 20 years have come from Il.
Maj. Walter Reed. TO whom the world
owes an inestimable debt for his DEM
onstration OF the mosquito theory OF
yellow fever, made that discovery
while connected with the service. The
rise OF vaccination for the prevention
OF typhoid fever IL to be credited to
the army surgeon. SO thoroughly
have the theories OF sanitation bean
mastered that there are now less than
onethirteenth as many admissions to
the army and navy hospitals On 90
count Of malaria az there we're -
years ago.
The division OF militia affairs has
charge of the organization Of the nar
tional guard of the United States. Il
Is the present plan OF the government
to divide the country into eight militia
districts, with central army post IN
each district and smaller posts In each
state. These districts will have both
the regular and militia forces In them
30 organized as to correspond 70 eight
army corps. These troops will b 20
equipped as to be ready to answer,
the call for troops at the shortest poe-,
sible notice, and will furnish the nu-
cleus around which will be built up
eight full strength corps In the event
of war. Through q system Of annual
maneuvers It IL the intention Of tie
department to convert the militia -
to q thoroughly organized AgA4lnO
force.