Gilpin observer., 1917-07-19
CLOTHING UNCLE
SANS new ARMY
GIGANTIC TASK
Immense Supply Of Materials
Necessary to Equip Men /. !.
for the Field.
Big PROBLEMS TO Be SoLvEN
In Addition to the Regular Army and
National Guard, Supplies Must
Be on Hand for the
Drafted Men.

Washington.-When a nation goes to
war, naturally the people back home
want action. The first thought Is to
whip the other fellow as soon as Dos
sible, whip him good and plenty and
get 1t over with. Congress votes an
army. The people, and rightly SO,
want that army In training camps as
quickly as possible and made ready to
fight.
Americas national army Of half
million men probably will not get into
camp until September. Miracles. al
most, will have to be accomplished to
do that. Even most of the National
Guard won't be in camp until August
/. And war was declared early In
April.
There have been delays here in
Washington getting things under way
that are hard to understand. There
have been minor blunders and mis-
takes that appear inexcusable. 1t has
taken longer to do things than appears
on the surface, at least, at all neces-
sary. But practically every complaint
of this character, serious Or minor, Is
traceable back to the fundamental Of
the whole situation: When this coun-
try went into war it was emphatically
on q peace basis. Most Of this lost
time and motion has been spent In
building up the tremendous organiza-
ton necessary, not alone to supply the
army when it takes the field in num-
bers with munitions, but with the
plainest necessities before they are
ready even to take the field for pre-
limnary training and to keep them
supplied.
Bio Industries Simplify Task.
II the United States were not big
Industrial nation, the biggest in this
world, the task. would be almost i'm.
possible. As 1t Is, it presents prob
lem the average person back home has
little conception of until he goes into
actual figures of needs and require
mentS.
When war was declared, 1t naturally
was supposed the National Guard, our
second line Of defense to the regular
army, would be put in intensive train-
ing at once. 1t wasn't. The reason WAS
that the army didn't have the equip
ment to take care of the National
Guard, IL 1t should recruit to war
strength at the same time the regular
army was filings up Its ranks, There
wqs no particular object in calling out
the very men who had had the splen-
did experience on the border. The
Guard had to be doubled and nearly
trebled in size and 1t was the new re-
cruits who needed the intensive truin-
Ing. And the government couldn't take
care Of the new recruits. 1t will have
Job fully equipping the National
Guard when 1t does take to camp.
But the army says 1t can do the
task now. Something like q half mill
lion recruitss have been taken into
the regular army, National Guard and
navy already And the first contin-
gent Of the national army. 625,OOO
men, must be equipped in September.
That was the army job on supplies
apart from arming the men. The ma
ton went to war without huge store
houses full of reserve supplies. We
were operating on n small army scale
because we didn't think we would have
10 go to war.
The Clothing Requirements.
Concrete figures give real idea of
what 1t takes to clothe and equip an
army. Here are the clothing requ,ce.
ments for million men and the up
keep In clothing for nine months, for
the army has to know where the next
few months supply is to be had as
well as the initial equipment:
beits, WaiSt
Breeches, cotton, foot soldier. ,57S 0Ot
Breeches. cotton. mounted soldier /. .29e. .00t
Breeches. woolen. foot soldier. r......1 1.sS2, ,00t
Breeches, woolen mounted soldier 9si. .00t
NDuts, cottoH .z,fWs cVt
Coats, wooden ........................1,2r 1,2r, .O0t
Cords, hat ........................... ,5St 0Ot
Drawers. summer ...................b.E5,OV ,OV
Drawers. winter .....................5.6oc 800, ,0o(
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