The Alaska daily empire., 1917-02-12
Fully Prepared For An Armed Conflict When It Comes, or Any
 Emergency.
PLENTY OF MUNITIONS
Development of Plants by European War Are Great Factors in
 Preparedness.
(Ry w. w. Jermane)

H'NH " aNaAH.NANAANAaAan NAaN NaNfANANN NNA'' conditions the United States has been in as regards preparedness fol war, army officers point out that the army bill of the last session ol Congress and the extraordinary cir cumstances which resulted in the constructlon of enormous munitions plants here during the lest two years, have put us in good c5ndi ton for the present emergency It is added that the country car now provide ordnance and equipment for an army as rapidly as 1t can pos sibly be used in the event Of wal with Germany.
 No censorship has been established officially but yet army men arc reluctant to discuss the crisis fol publication, except with the under Istanding that their names are no to be used. With such an under standing, a prominent army officer today was willing to be quoted as follows:
 If it were not that Germany Is now Ihemmed in by enemies whose line. she can not break, l should have sent my family into the interior as soon as I heard that the President had broken off diplomatic relations with Germany.
 No Disaster lmpends
 As 1t is, no matter how rapidly the next developments come, there is not likely to be any condition aris ing that we shall be unable to forsee or meet with sufficient force to pre- vent disaster to any considerable portion of the United States. Last summers army bill authorizes the President to take over for national use any plants. or even complete in, dustries, that might be needed for army use.
 This applies not only to the time of actual warfare, but when there is danger of war, and SO it applies right now. It is hardly possible all though, that any such step will be necessary immediately; it is general ly believed that owners of such plants will willingly turn them over to the government if they are need ed, without making 1t necessary tc commandeet them
 Our little army is inadeQuately equipped at the present time; there can be no displuting that, but through no effort for which We car claim credit We are fortunately able 10 turn out the equipment needed by armies far larger than ours. Recruit ing since the passage of the army bill has, I understand, gone on more rapidly than is generally known.
 Size of Present Army
 We probably have an army in the vicinity of 135,OOO men now and or paper, at least. a National Guard oi some 100000. We are more defic tent in our machine gun, artillery and airplane equipment than in any other feature
 The situation is such, however that in all probability there will be more than time enough to make uI these and other deficiencies before they can do any harm in the even, of war.
 American soldiers in all probabil. lty will not be needed abroad i'm. mediately, even if war is declared. The severance of relations with Ger. many will in itself have tremen dous moral effect on the men now fighting against Germany. Declara. tiOn of war would have greater cf feet toward defeating Germany than would the winning, of several import. ant battles.
 Our navy pretty well equipped now, would, of course, be the first arm of the service that would be called into action. The British navy big as it is, is not big enough, to cover all points where warships are now needed, and the American navy could render valuable service. As for the army, however, it is not i'm possible that the war might be brought to a close without our army being called into any severe action at all.
 None Might Go Abroad
 It is impossible to tell just where and how it would be needed; I don't believe the officials in Washington would try to predict what would be needed. or even whether a single soldier would be sent across the sea.
 In any event it is highly probable that our regular army would not be called upon to embark for the front until long after there had been time to improve the equipment, and that the National Guard would not be called on to sail for months after that It would take at least six months to equip and prepare the Ma tional Guard for sailing. and the AL lies would hardly be able to make much use of our National Guard with in less time than that
 With intensive training and our present facilities for eQuipping men