The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1917-09-10
46I,259 HORSES
ASKED FOR WAR
Mounts for Soldiers viii
Cost the United States
$I23,333,7l6.

Congress, which has frequently been
accused of acting as II 1t did not know
the country Is engaged in the world
war, is due to wise up this ween
when il tackles the 5000. 100000 urgent
deficiencies bill.
This statement Is based on the study
Representatives are making Of the
i.OOO-paCa report of the Appropriations
Committee. which is made up almost
entirely of military information. The
committee presented together with the
bill. a report on the hearings 1t held
with army officers, going into detail
on the most minute requests for
money.
II any Representative had any doubt
about the war or its magnitude, the
doubt was certainly Jared loose by
the tremendous estimates.
Here. for instance, is one:
Big Items In Bill.
Gen. Sduier asked for 5000, 600 more
for the Signal Service, having already
had Sl.OOO.OC0 in the army bill, ana
$751;. .765. in the June urgent deficien-
Cies bill. The total of $7,s17, ,766 is need
cd to provide motorcycles, telephones,
telegraph instruments, etc, for the
forces in FRANCE.
IL that DOES not convince Repre-
sentatiyes that war work is on. this
may:
For medicines. antiseptics, disinfect-
ants and surgical dressings, S5,lSo,oc.
or, to take another instance from the
Hospital Corps budget, ss,Si0.oOO for
accessories and spare parts for motor
ambuIances. Or. still another. S25, ,oo1cD
for gas masks and trench sprayers.
Motoring REPRESENTATIVES will get a
good idea of the size Of the war job
when they note a threat from Col.
Fisher, of the staf of Surg. Gen.
Gorcas. that ne may have TO ask for
$500 900 worth of auto tires for the
ambulanCes.
Millions for Beds.
Gen. Gorsas told the committee
England maintains 1.OOo.0oo beds and
France 5000. and that he would
want beds for n per cent OF the
American forces, or 6yo.Oo.
Transportation costs give another
sidelight on the war problem. Gen.
sharpe, of the Quartermaster Corps,
had already received Sl6.c0c0O in the
army bill. and 500, ,96S,745 in the June
deficiencies measure. He asked for
$3.50, ~. .3g5 in the new budget. HE fig-
ures were based on an average trans
portation cost of $3.50 per man. in the
total army strength Of 2.O5S.c0o. and
were to cover all transportation Of all
these men UP to June 30. 1915.
The quartermaster asked for sixty
machine shop trucks. costing $500
each. to be used only in cruising
around among all the other trucks and
supplying them with spare parts. max
ing reYairs. etc. These trucks are
designed to serve some 3l.3CS other
trucks which are TO cost Uncle Sam
about s1e5, OO0,COO.
Horses for War.
The army establishment will re-
quire no less than 1O2, ,554 riding horses
and S5S,7O5 artillery horses, in addi-
ton to the 81 900 already in use. The
riding horses were estimated at $50,
and the Others at slyS each. BY the
time 2,O2S, ,00n are in thr field. Uncle
Sam will have spent Sl25, so, ,7l6 for
horses.
Gen. Crowder. father of the con-
script army of 6S7,OOn. appeared before
the Appropriation Committee to ask
for $500. .OS7 for the draft.
Users of white paper will get an
idea of Gen. Crowder's rart OF the
war job when they find he used 400
tons of blank forms. His bill a. the
Government Printing Office was $780,
COS.
Gen. Crozier asked the committee
for S17o. "a. COZ with which to buy ma
chine guns. He had already received
SIC. .OOO.OO for machine guns, making
the total amount for this particular
death-dealing rife S94O. .277.OO0
Subsistence tor prisoners OF war is
put at S1e. e.775,oO0.