The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-05-05
War Department Makes Plans for Raising First
 Army by Selective Draft
tcontinued from P-ae One,


 ron to each two infantry divisions; eight balloon companies: 10 field hospitals; lU ambulance companies; 9 field bakeries; six telephone battalons; IS pack com panies; six ammunition trains and six supply trains.
 In preparation for the enormous task of training this great army the existing regular establishment and the National Guard is being brought to full war strength. The regulars when all five ad- ditional increments provided for in the national defense act have been added will total 11,2Ss officers and 293,00O men of all arms.
 Upon the Presidents approval of the army bill, the first increment will be added to the regulars. As soon as possi- ble thereafter the remaining increments will be created, existing regiments hav- ing divided and expanded to form the new units.
 TO ADVANCE REGULARS : Already orders summoning officers of the regular service for examinations for advance in grade have been prepared.
 The result of this expansion will be to
 
 first and second lieutenants in the army. More than thousand youths in civil life already have applied for examination for second lieutenant and 400O0 will be selected from the officers training camps.
 To provide general officers to command the IS divisional training camps, that number of army colonels may be exam ined. As there exists already one vacancy in the grade of brigadier general, 19 new oar aff ho o fad and the army bill provides that the Pres- ident may select these men from any source. In any event the present general officers of wide experience probably will be selected, as far as possible, to com mand divisional camps.
 SUPPLEMENTARY UNITS
 The full strength of the National Guard units now existing will be 9s47 officers and 329,954 men, giving a total regular and National Guard force to be whipped into shape before the new army is called of 21,0S0 officers and 622,954 men. New units must be created, however, to fill out tractical organiza tions and probably the total of this first force will exceed 100000 active troops backed by about 25o- 900 more in the regimental recruit bat. talions.
 From this force will be formed IS divi- sons. corresponding to the organiza tion of the first new army. From it also early ir September will be drawn some 200 O00 officers and noncommissioned officers who will constitute the frame work on which the new army will be shaped. They will be with the 10000 officers to be selected from the training camps. the in- structors of the first army and on their efficiency rests the whole military fabric that is to be built up.
 The general plan will be to provide a regular army officer to command each new regiment. with an adequate number of regular or National Guard officers of experience to carry on efficiently the ad- ministrative dulles and to supervise in- struction.
 During the interval between the regis. tration and the calling out of the new army. the regular and Ma atonal Guard divisions will be at work preparing the mobilization camps and with their own training. To them also will continue to fall the duty of protecting public and private property. The commander of each training district probably will di- rect this work under the orders of the commander of the military department in which his camp is located.