The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1917-11-20
CALL FOR DRAFT MEN NEAR
Camp Devens' Final Quota May b
Ordered Out Soon.

Oroered OUT Soon.
Camp Deyens, Nov. 20.-Ofiicers
OF this cantonment are anxiously
awaiting official verification of the
news dispatches Of day or two since
which stated, in substance, that Sec
rotary of'War Baker was about to
call for the service of the final Is
per cent of draft soldiers to complete
the ranks of this and other National
army environments throughout the
countr.
While as stated, no word as to the
final drawing has come from the war
department, other information has
been received which indicates an ear
ly completion OF the Camp Devens
roster and cheers the entire person
mel of the camp accordingly, one of
these inspiring bits Of information is
Incorporated in report that con-
signment of 10000 army oyercoats is
on the way to this cantonment AS
the shortage of these garments has
been assigned as the sole cause for
Withholding the final increment of
drafted men 1t is assumed that the
to wear them will be a practically
simultaneous conclusion.
Meantime the official igIres show
that of the approximately 5000 re-
placement men already called for L.
076 have so far appeared with groups
of 10 to % arriving on every train
and from all sections of New England
and uortharp Nav Hork
The camp. therefore. in the mater
o. its final complement of men Is
rather in tbs attitu1e q. marking time.
In order that all of the new arrivals
may begin training on fairly even
basis. fHa
The physical examination of the l..
900 replacement men who have al
ready arrived are being made rapidly
and indicate that The complaints Of
the camp examiners as to the laxity
of draft Doaf1l examiners with rsgarI
to the first quotas sent have had the
desired tbsult Tie fastest men to be
selected are Of u uniformly much bet
ter class physically than any yet TO
come here and reflections are compar.
atiyely few The men are being un.
formed as soon as passed by the ex-
aiming board and will be ready for
active participation in all camp work
much sooner than were their prade-
| eessors in camp. A i
During the past several days En-
Geld rifles have been arriving in I'M
expectedly large numbers until there
are now 1880 of these guns in camp,
AS fast as possible they are being
distributed to the infantrymen who
are to begin systematic target prac-
Ice Monday morning, and the Krags
which were the first type of rifle sup
piled for the drill pratice of the 49,
coo or more new men who are eX-
pected to be enrolled within the next
week OF so,
Accompanying the new rifles has
come great amount of ammunition
for them. for use in the scheduled tar
get practice numbering more than
half million rounds.
Lieut. Col c. A. Romeyn of the
3O2d Infantry has been selected as
range officer and will assume com
mahd OF this impoi tant branch of
camp training at s o'clock Monday
morning. Colonel Romeyn's regiment
and the 303d will be the first organ
izations to fire the new guns. Fifteen
companies viii be assembled at the
100 yards skirmish line and, while
they are busy in the process of devol-
oping marksmen, sharpshooters, or
expert rifemen as the case may he
certain OF their comrades will be in
the pits to indicate the growing accal-
airy or non-accuracy of each shooters
performance.
No branch of the training has de-
veloped interest in the ranks or been
so eagerly anticipated as has the tar
get pratice now at hand, and it VIII
be given precedence over everything
else from this time until it is render
ed impracticable by weather that for
bids working with barred hands.
1t is fact not generally known
that proficiency in rifle shooting is
not all attained at the target
Much is to be gained said Capt.
Charles l.. stevenson of the quarter
masters department, 'by study of
the rifle itself, its sights, trigger pres
sure, and other component parts. No
man has ever become nohly fine shot
without having an intimate knowledge
of the arm used Therefore much
attention and evening instruction will
bee devoted to this phase of the prac-
tice"