Arizona republican., 1917-10-10
T0 CHANGE PL ANS OF NEW ARMY '
Republican A. p. Leased Wire1


 WASHINGTON, Oct 9.-Orders is sued today to commanders of national army cantonments disclose for the first time the war departments complete plans for the training and organiZa tiOn of the first half million of the national army.
 Shortage of men in the three national guard divisions of the south, the Thirtieth, Thirtyf first and Thirty ninth, coupled with a decision to form new national army division of negro troops, has made necessary a read justment of the forces at fifteen of the sixteen cantonments. The geographical complexion of three national army di visions will be changed entirely as d result.
 General Bliss chief of staff, issued this explanation:
 "The selected men that are now be- ing gathered into the sixteen national army cantonments will be used to form the first force of 500,000 men author ized in the act of congress approved May IS, 1917, and to fill up the na- tional guard divisions to practically the maximum strength of the new or ganization. The balance of the 6S7, 900 selected men will be used to supple ment the voluntary enlistments for
 
 are such an important part of the or ganiZation of modern army. It is expected that the voluntary enlist ments for the regular army will be enough to keep that branch of the na- tion's forces filled up to strength with out transferring men to it from this first selection for the national army.
 ''The force of 500,000 men will be organized into sixteen white divisions and one colored division. One white division will be organized at each of the sixteen national army canton ments and the units of the cOlored di- vision will be organized at the various cantonments where the number of col pred troops is sufficient to organize divisional unit.
 Instead of concentrating all of the colored men in the few cantonments of the southern states, the policy of the war department will be to distrib ute them more or less evenly through out all of the sixteen army canton ments.
 "ln the southern states whose quotas go to the cantonments at Col imbia, $. C.; Atlanta. Ga. and Littie Rock, Ark, Camps Jackson, Gordon and Pike), the number of white men e4uiieu to i'll up the national guard divisions furnished by those same states is so great, and the proportion of colored to white in the populations of those states is so great, that it has been found to be physically impossible to organize three national guard and three national army divisions at full strength from the white quotas of these states and therefore the war de- partment has decided to take all of the white men from these states, both na- tional guard and national army, and organize them into four full strength divisions (three national guard and one national army). This national army division will be organized at Camp Jackson from the men left over at Camps Jackson, Gordon and Pike after the three national guard divisions tThirtieth, Thirty first and Thirty ninth) have been filled up to strength.
 rAt Camp Gordon, after it's white quota has been transferred to the na- tional guard and to Camp Jackson, there will be organized national army division made up of surplus white men drawn from Camp Devens, Camp Up- ton, Camp Dix. Camp Meade and Camp Lee; and at Camp Pike, after it's white quota has been transferred 10 the national guard, and Camp Jack
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