South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-06-02
HALF NUMBER
OF environments
Lack of Money Causes In
portant Changes in
Plans For Army.

WASHINGTON, June Import
ant revisions in the plan for train
ing the war army have been made
by the war department, which an
nounced Friday that the half million
men 10 be called 10 the cOlors IN
September will be concentrated in
Is cantonments instead Of 80. and
that many OF the forces would be
put into tents instead OF wooden
barracks.
Lack Of funds, material, labor
and transportation facilities, Sec'y
Baker said, were determining influ-
ences in the decision 10 reduce the
number OF environments. The pre-
vious plan TO build 80 of the camps
was reached, it was explained, after
congress had appropriated $1,000
600 on the theory that there would
be only Is. For a time the larger
number seemed practicable, but
that would have made a much
greater demand on the overtaxed
resources at the departments COM
mand.
Will Upset Plans.
Although the change will upset
all the tentative plans for camp To-
cations made by department COM
manders, it is not expected TO de-
lay beyond September l. the mobil-
ization of the great army. Four Of
the 16 cantonment sites provided
for under the new plan already
have been selected and choice Of
the others is expected soon. Sec'y
Baker indicated that building would
proceed as rapidly as possible. The
four sites selected are at Ameri-
can Lake, Washington; Atlanta,
Ga; Ayre, Mass, and Wrightstown,
y. j.
a more plentiful supply OF can
vas than expected made il possible
TO put some of the troops under
tents. A canvas shortage was
largely responsible for the original
plan TO house the army in wooden
barracks for army officials have
preferred tenting from the start.
Most of the tents used probably will
be placed at southern camps.
In making the announcement.
Sec'y Baker said also that forces in
excess of those which could be cared
for in the 16 environments would
be placed under canvas. This was
taken as referring TO national guard
divisions. although the militia bu-
reau has received no instructions in
this regard.
There is no indication of an in
tention to alter the plan for forma-
ton of Is divisions of the guard.
The question of filling these up 70
war strength probably will not be
settled until selection of men for
military service in the draft army
begins. IL is possible that ii will be
found better at that time. if the
state forces have not been recruited
TO full strength 10 consolidate into
a 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 de-
sired
Eastern Guard Call June 10.
units of the eastern portion of the
country will be drafted into the
federal armies on July Is. In
doubtedly they will be put under
canvas as rapidly as divisional mob
ilization is ordered, and the plan of
training virtually all guard divisions
in the southern section of the coun-
try will he adhered TO. The guard
already has a considerable supply
of tentage and the machinery of the
council OF national defense is at
work endeavoring to secure enough
for all forces with little delay.
All of the guard units will have
been drafted into service by August
3. That does not mean. however.
that all will have been ordered to
divisional training camps at that
time Presumably the best equipped
and recruited forces will be made
ready first for duty abroad but
there has been no announcement as
10 the process to be followed. More
than 10000 guardsmen are now en-
gagged in police work, guarding
bridges. factories and other struc-
lures, and that work will have to
be kept up.