The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-04-07
ARMY OF GREAT SIZE IS URGED
 BY PRESIDENT '
Special Message Approves War Dept. Plan For
 100000 Force.

Washington, April With the with Germany, President Wilson is- sued a. statement urging the prompt enactment of the General Staff's plans to increase the army.
 The plans provide for an army of 2'OoO,00O men within two years, with l,o0O,OO0 ready in year. It would be thoroughly trained and equipped.
 The regular army and the National Guard would be brought to war strength and the rest of the force ob- ta1ned by selective draft. Until Con- gross acts, all the War Department can do is to expand the regular army.
 Wilson Indorses Plan.
 ! The Presidents statement said:
 The principle embodied in the leg 1slat1on presented by the War Depart ment to the military committees of the Senate and House has my entire approval, and it's specific recommen- dat1ons embody the best judgment of the officers of the War Department
 Tt proposes to raise the forces necessary to meet the. present emer- gency by bringing the regular army and the National Guard to war strength and by adding the additional forces which will now be needed, so that the national army will comprise three elements, the regular army, the National Guard and the so-cal1ed ad- d1tional forces, of which at first 5OO,- 900 are to be authorized immediately and later increments of the same size as they may be needed.
 " Tn order that all fhoco forcos y,oox1 comprise a single army, the term of enlistment in the three is equalized and will be for the period of the emergency.
 The necessary men will be se- cured for the regular army and the National Guard by volunteering, as at present, until, in the Judgment of the President, a resort to selec- tive draft is desirable. The addition al forces, however, are to be raised by se1ective draft from men ranging in age from nineteen to twenty-five years. The quotas of the several States in all of these forces will be in proportion to their popuplaton.
 Policy of the Future
 This legislation makes no attempt to solve -he question of a permanent military policy for the country, chiefly for the reason that in these anxious and disordered times a clear view can not be had either of our permanent military necessities or of the best mode of organizing a proper military peace establishment.
 @The hope of the world is that when the European war is over arraTAge- 6A many of the questions which have hitherto seemed 70 require the arming of the nations, and that in some or dered and just way the, peace of the world may be maintained by such CO., operations of fofce among the grea. nations as may be necessary to mSin- tain peace and freedom throughout the world.
 When these arrangements for a permanent peace are made we can de- termine our military needs and adapt our course of military preparation to the genius of a world organized for justice and democracy.
 The present bill, therefore, is adapted to the present situation, but it is drawn upon such lines as will en- able us to continue it's policy, or so much of it as may be determined to be wise, when the present crisis has passed"
 See Policy Continued The Presidents reference to the pos sibility of continuing this army policy
 is regarded as highly significant by universal training enthusiasts. Array officers, as rule, will be perfectly
 satisfied to see the bill passed solely as an emergency measure, feeling that the system of universal training will prove it's merits when put into opera l .ion- A call for the mobilization of the en- I tire National Guard may come at any 1 time, according to officials of the War department.
 The present strength of the National Guard is between 150,000 and 160,000 l men, of whom about 60,00O have al 1 ready been mustered into the Federal
 service.
 Training of Volunteers Army officers say that to train and l equip the 100000 men necessary to fill 1 up the regular army and the National Guard to war strength will tax all the 1 resources of the present military es- | tablishment, though no doubt is ex- pressed that 100000 volunteers will be l forthcoming immediately.
 A businesslike move by MT. Daniels was the publication yesterday oe the fact that the Navy Department will rigidly enforce the provision of the 1 Navy Bill giving the President au- | thority to issue orders for war ma l teria1 at a reasonable price," to be 1 fixed by him, and requiring the manu- facturer to furnish munitions so or dered at the price set. A formal statement by the Secretary says: After the passage of the Navy Bill authorizing the manufacture of ad- ditional torpedoes, the B. W. Bliss | Co.,, (the only company except gov ernment~ works that can make torpe- does of the longest range) made a l price that Secreary Daniels deemed l too high. The company later ex- pressed their willingness to reduce the price by about $500 on each tor pedo.
 "Deeming this price too high, Sec 1 retary Daniels directed the Ordnance Department to make @ careful study of the cost of manufacturing torpedoes of the type needed, to estimate a fair profit upon the cost and to report what would be reasonable price, The chief of the Bureau or Ordnance reported that 8 reasonable price was $1,578 less than the original bid made by the E. w. Bliss Co.,