The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-06-02
PLAN
FOR TRAINING
DRAFT Army
Half Million Men Will Be
Concentrated In Six
teen Cantonments
FOUR SITES ARE
ALREADY CHOSEN
Additional Forces Under
Canvas-Plans For Ma
tional Guard
tRy Associated Press,

Washington, June 2.-Important
revisions in the plan for training the
war army have been made by the
war department, which announced
yesterday that the half million men
to be called to the colors in September
will be concentrated in sixteen can
tonments instead of thirty-two and
would be put into tents instead of
wooden barracks.
Lack of funds, material, labor and
transportation facilities, Secretary
Baker said, were determining infiu-
ences in the decision to reduce the
number of cantonments.
The previous plan to build thirty
two of the camps was reached, it was
explained, after congress had appro-
priated $77,OO0,0O0 on the theory that
there would be only sixteen. The
change is not expected, however, to
| delay beyond September /, the mob
ilization of the great army. Four of
the sixteen cantonment sites have
been selected and choice Of the others
is expected soon.
The four sites selected are at Amer
lean Lake, Washington; Atlanta, Ga,
Ayre, Mass and Wrightstown, n. J.
A more plentiful supply of canvas
than expected made ii possible to put
some of. the troops under tents, and
army officials have preferred tenting
from the start.
In making the announcement Sec
rotary Baker said also that forces in
excess of those which could be cared
for in the sixteen cantonments would
be placed under canvas This was
taken as referring to national guard
divisions. There is no indication of
an intention to alter the plan for
formation of sixteen divisions of the
guard. The question of filling these
up to war strength probably will not
be settled until selection of the draft
army begins. 1t is possible that it will
be found better at that time, If the
state forces have not been recruited
to full strength, to consolidate into
smaller number of divisions, but
under the law either the regulars or
guard can be filled up with men from
the selected lists If that is desired.
Meantime the national guard units
of the eastern portion of the country
will be drafted into federal armies on
July Is, and the plan of training vir-
tually all guard divisions in the south
ern section Of the country will be ad-
hered to.
All of the guard units will have been
drafted into service by August 5. That
does not mean, however that all will
ing camps at that time. Presumably
the best equipped and recruited forces
will be made ready first for duty
abroad, but there has been no an
nouncement as to the process to be
followed. ".-. .. .-.
More than $4,000 guardsmen are
now engaged in police work, guarding
bridges, factories and other structures
and that work will have to be kept
up.
The task of building a environment
is a big one. Miles of roads, water,
sewer, and light construction must be
put in. More than 1000 buildings
must be erected in each camp and
railway connections must be estab-
lished. To begin the simultaneous
construction of thirty-two such cities,
officials feel, would. have been more
than the resources of the department
or of the country could have borne
without seriously interrupting the
ordinary course of commercial life.