The Goldfield news and weekly tribune. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1911-1947, 1917-05-05
NEW SYSTEM
FOR TROOP
TRAINING
SOLDIERS WILL BE INSTRUCTED
IN ALL BRANCHES OF
WARFARE

to be assembled under the draft
bill begins at the 16 training can
tonments. Careful plans laid by
war department officials provide for
the application Immediately of every
lesson learned from European bat
tie fields and much of the work to
be done will be new eve to men
recently in army instruction camps.
The American training system
probably will follow hat used in
Canada, where the instructors have
made every effort to reproduce as
closely as possible conditions at the
front. Sections of trenches I've
been built at the Canadian camps
exactly duplicating important lines
in France held by Canadian troops.
Training in extending these works
and workings saps or erecting en-
tanglements has gone on, to the
accompaniment OF actual shell fire,
so as to harden the nerves of the
troops as well as their muscles.
To carry out this scheme, the
Canadians have placed batteries OPP
posite the trenches, and the infan-
trymen under training have done
their work night and day with
shrapnel bursting close to them.
The officers, of course, know
the posts to be pounded by the
guns and keep the men out of
danger.
Another work new to American
troops will be bombing practice.
Every company will have it's sec
ton of grenadiers to clear the way
into a disputed trench. 1t requires
practice to perfect men in this re-
vived art of war, and it requires
practice also to teach men to act
instinctively in repelling bombing
parties.
M%achine-gun work will be revolu-
tionized. In Great Britain a
separate machine-gun corps has
been created to turn out complete
! machine-gun companies, which han
die the heavy, water-cooled Vickers-
Maxim guns on defensive lines.
In each company are skilled me-
chanics to make repairs, highly
trained gunners, packers and am
munition handlers. Among the line
troops, also, are scattered great
numbers of light machine-rifles for
o~ffense, one man carrying the gun
and several following him up with
ammunition as he creeps forward
from shell hole to shell hole In the
very front line of each attacking
wave.
With the artillery, all the compli-
Gated machinery for curtain n
barrage fire must be provided for.
1t takes long training to fit gun
ners for this work, and absolute GER
tainty of the lines of communion
ton with the observation posts.
Secretary Baker said it now SEEM
ed unlikely that the entire 100000
or more men who will be liable for
duty in the conscriptive forces could
be enrolled, physically examined.
and otherwise passed upon for ex-
emptions before the process of call
ing to the colOrs began.
Mr.. Baker Is inclined to favor
the jury wheel system of choosing
the men to be called first. Elk
animation of hat number then
would be carried out and enough
additional anne drawn to fill up
the quota with provision made for
exemptions.
The secretary indicated that pas
sage of the draft bill would be fol-
lowed by further vigorous efforts to
stimulate voluntary recruiting in
the regular army and national
guard. President Wilson may issue
a proclamation calling for 100000
or more volunteers for these bran
ches of the service. Mr.. Baker
made it plain that the var depart
ment does not plan to apply the
draft to fill up the regular and
guard forces until the supply OF
volunteers has been exhausted.
Within a month after enactment
of the bill the secretary expects to
set the registration date for the
conscriptive forces. A proclamation
will be issued notifying all men
affected to appear at the registra-
ton places. The election machinery
of each community will be used to
facilitate registration, and the po-
lice forces will be employed to bring
in those who fail to appear volun-
tarily.
Exemption boards will be localiz-
ed to the greatest possible extent,
as Mr.. Baker desires to get the
benefit OF neighborhood sentiment
and neighborhood knowledge In car
rying out this work. The impor-
lance of a mar in his civilian oc-
cupation is we'll known among his
%neighbors.
A. A. CODD of Reno is at the