The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-05-14
Provides for a Standing Army of 100000 Capable of Expansion to 254,O00 in Case of Emergency
NATIONAL GUARD OF 425,000 WILL GIVE AN
 ADEQUATE RESERVE
Nitrate Plants to Cost Not Exceeding Twenty Million Dollars Provided for in Conference Agreement

Washington. May 1s-A standing army of 2os,ooo fighting men. capabis of being expanded fin emergency to 254. .0oo. and backed by a federalized national guard of 425.ooo as reserve. finally was agreed on today by House and Senate conferees on the army bill. This would give total peace strength of 63l.o00 men. The agreement will be reported to Congress early next week and the measure. the first of the admin istration preparedness bills. is ex- pected to be before President Wilson for his signature soon afterward Advocates of adequate national de- fense regard the conference agreement as a triumph. The compromise between the House and Senate measures was effected after weeks of struggle against an insistent demand from House con- ferees for a standing army of only 140000 men and until today it had appeared that the Senate might bs forced to yield. The Senate bill pro- vided for 250.000.
 The minimum enlisted strength would be attained under the conference agree ment within the next five years. and It l is stipulated that at no time shall the total be less than 160.ooo.
 NITRATE PLANTS AGREED ON The conference report also provides for government nitrate man plants to cost not exceeding for vocational education in 1 army and for establishment training camps for voluntet whose transportation, clothin aA
 sistence expenses while in would be paid by the feder ment.
 The training camp feature ~ k approved Is regarded as coi lin a measure for the fede ltee reserve of PSI .00o men slaM tsa Senate conferees were force f4a- don on insistence from the
 Other salient features of ay bill provide for board to investigate the advisability of establishing gov- ernment intuition plants and board to recommend mobilization of industries. Authority is given to the government to seize and operate private intuition plants in time of war.
 In the agreement on the regular army the Senate bill system of organization was retained as substitute for the House system, which would have re- cruited a maximum army of 10000 men.
 MINIMUM OF 160,000
 The regular line of the army. the bill so provides, can never go below 1so.0oo and
 it's maximum strength in times of peace would be 175.0oo officers and men. In this calculation, however, there are excluded 5723 Philippine scouts. s4os in the quar- termasters corps. 72so in the medical de- partment, 33s7 in the signal corps. and s750 unassigned recruits. a total of a1.s5s.
 These added to the regular line of 175.- 000 men give total regular army peace strength of POS. .s5s. The President is au- thorized to increase the regular army di- visions to maximum strength without congressional action.
 The volunteer reserve army of 2si.o .ooo men provided in the Senate bill goes out leaving the reserve army to the National Guard. which will be federalized accord ing to provtslsus of the House bill. All officers and men of the guard must take an oath of allegiance to the United States. as well as to the respective states
 The National Guard at maximum strength would be recruited on the basis of 800 men to each congressional dis trict. which would aggregate a total of i25.ooo men. This reserve force. together with the regular army of 254.co0 war
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