The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1917-09-20
VOLUME LVU

E, The announcement 10 the publ,
s may go into detail o. the cnntonmon,
l. construction work itcef. Generally
n speaking, the cantoament problem had
e to do with the building of n vEst num-
: Der Of wooden buildings, the instala.
: tion of water supply and sanitary sys-
: tens, electric lighting, road building,
| etc. All the work was supposed to be
done in two and onc-half months. The
! first recommendation for a contract
was made by the committee on June Z,
and work on the first cantonment be-
! gan on June 15 The committees
total deliberations on The sixteen can
tonments extended from May 20 to
about June 10, but most Of the work
started after June 16. The sites for
the cantonments were selected by the
general staff. Final disposition Of the
site was out Of the committees hands.
The first and most difficult canton
mcnt was that at Aver, fiaGs. The
survey ut Aver was made and report
ed, the outlines were set down, the
general line Of streets was made and
provision was made for the water
supply, The contractor and the con-
tracing quartermaster went to the
site together, and, working from the
adapting plan, started the surveyors
driving the stakes where the main
points would be.
Excessive Cost Charges absurd"
Many things were happening at this
time. The Lumber Committee knew
the lumber requirements in advance.
While the Lumber Committee was
putting the contractors in touch with
the prime association" with which
they had to deal and telling them
Here is a price beyond which you
must not pay for the lumber; you can
pay any price below this" the quar-
termaster was saying, "You must not
be slow on this thing" Other de-
partments were buying piping, plumb
ing supplies, clothing and shoes.
Charges were made that the Lumber
was paying too much for
lumber, but, according to the report,
it was proved at a two days meeting
that such was not the case, The aver
age price for lumber was about $2O.50.
All told, four billion feet Of lumber
were used--the total annual output of
lumber in the United States. Water
melons were rotting on the ground
while trains loaded with lumber were
being rushed TO the sites Of CANTOR
ments. The average number Of work.
ers at each cantonment was more than
five thousand. The highest price paid
he carpenters was about sixty-five
'ents an hour. The charge that alb
normal and high wages were paid to
abor on the cantonments, that water
,oys, for example, were paid five dol
ars day in some places, are charac-
erized as absolutely absurd"
Housing of Men Purely american"
The housing Of the men in the can
is purely american" 1t
oes not follow European practice.
has been made for six hun
red cubic feet Of air per man in the
whereas it is only 3G0 feet
or each man in European canton
tents. Each barracks building will
ccommodate $50 men. Each canton
lent will have have two thousand
uildings of all kinds. The barracks
ere built two stories high instead of
lree or four stories in order to lessen
le fire hazard The assertion is mad
iat there has been ;. saving Of s12,-
10000 in the erecticr. Of two story
.ructures. American individualism
as considered in building the campa,
Take sanitation alone" says the
ajor, "A foreigner would not know
hat to do with all these facilties.2
0 Spend Half Billion on Buildings
All building activities Of the Gov
the statement will reveal,
Ill necessitate an expenditure of half
billion dollars. For the cantonments
one, twelve thousand cars were used
haul the materials The four bill
m feet Of lumber was drawn from
o mills throughout the country.
,ur hundred miles Of finished roads
e being built in the cantonments,
1ile the roads approaching the can
nments will total several hundred
ore miles Thousands Of miles Of
pc have been bought. A carload Of
cks was required TO put the tar
per on the roofs Of the buildings.
ny little cement was used, the aver
G for each cantonment being twenty
rloads. None Of the buildings has
pn painted. This is the substance
the report that soon will be given TO
: nation by the ADMINISTRATION
e Boston Transcript.