Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-11-04
Merrill HORNE Says 10000
Men Will Become Skilled
Motorists During War.
CORPORATIONS WANT THEM
Soldiers in Transportation
Service Have Chance to
Learn Useful Vocation.

less counting on an army or one
million American men in the field by
the time the war ends, will be skilled
operators of motor trucks. Ten thou
sand more will be master motor car
drivers and more than one hundred
thousand will be airplane pilots. In
addition to these there will be force
OF probably more than thirty thousand
expert mechanics. machinists black
smiths. etc, skilled in the adjustment
and repair OF motor truck, airplane
and automobile mechanism.
1t takes train of about forty trucks
TO serve a detachment of about two
thousand men. This means exactly
twenty thousand truck drivers for an
army OF one million. In addition, the
airplane squadrons which we will send
over will also require great number
OF trucks to act as tenders to the
planes. to haul their great personnel,
their baggage, their supplies. parts,
fuel. camp equipment and what
not. All this will require probably as
many drivers. IL not more, than the
quartermaster corps will have. II the
announced aviation program develops
into anything like what is planned.
The ordnance department will also
need many drivers. Perhaps II would
not be stretching 1t to say that one
hundred thousand drivers of all sorts
OF motor vehicles will be needed by
our forces in Europe.
In short, the Johnny who comes
back when the kaiser finally gives up
the ghost will be better man than
has ever come back from any war.
Besides military tactics grown obso-
lete as soon as learned and valueless
In civil pursuits. he will have a
lr~A 81
operation of commercial and other
motor vehicles for which there will
be great need. Instead Of finding
upon his return that while another
man has fitted himself into the old
Job he has been getting rusty on hte
previous work and has learned
nothing from his army experience
which will assist him In finding new
employment. Johnny will find many
places waiting and anxious to receive
him and he will find that the school,
ing which Uncle Sam has given him
Will. have equipped him to compete
successfully with the best that stayed
behind.
Warfare Teaches Mechanics.
Warfare today is applied science
and mechanics, not a demonstration Of
physical culture. 1t is difficult to find
q single man in the makeup OF a mod
ern army who is not a master of some
useful trade or profession. Science
no longer stands still and waits for
the termination of a war before ad-
vancing again. Instead Mars has made
a partner OF Minerva. the goddess Of
science and industry. and upon her he
places so much responsibility end to
such a great extent does the success
of his plans depend upon her that she
bids fair to become the principal part
ner in the new concern.
With science advancing in seven
league boots. traversing in few
eventful years what was laid out for
generations of painstaking effort, the
new tools which she places in the
hands of the war god must be welded
with a new skill. for ever as the i'm
plements Of war become more deadly
and efficient, they also wax more COM
plicated and difficult of mastery.
Hence 1t is that in this war of all
wars science is outdoing herself in the
daringness and audacity of her ad-
ventures and our little Johnny must
needs be more mechanic than man-at-
arms. If we think the mechanical de-
velopment of our generation OF peace
so lately terminated is wonderful,
then we must dub marvellous the inn
provements which the dire necessity
OF war will produce. That is why We
will all feel particularly gay when
Johnny comes driving home.
Besides the hosts of drivers, me-
chanics, ETC.. who will return to watt
ing jobs. there will be a smaller and
more select company of officers whose
experience in the field has been
broader and deeper. II not so init
mate. in the practical planning Of ef-
ficient and economical methods OF
motor applications, the effective con-
duct of mammoth service and repair
plants, the thoro and rapid instruc-
tion of all conditions of men in highly
technical subjects, the mastery Of diff
ficult problems In transportation by
means Of the infinitely versatile motor
truck. Many of these will be reserve
officers commissioned perhaps for a
period of years, but certain to be re-
iieved of duty shortly after the restor-
alton Of peace.
Places for Ex-SOldlers.
"There will be many places high in
the ranks Of the business army await
ing them. When we have organized.
mobilized, equipped and successfully
employed our army to restore interna-
tional political conditions to a toler-
able status, we will have perfected n
gigantic machine OF exceeding effl-
cheney which will be Of no further use
upon the completion of its appointed
task and which will be too expensive
TO maintain In idleness. It will be a
complicated machine consisting of an
aggregation Of many related parts,
each in itself a marvel of efficiency.
These parts will be highly adaptable
20 peaceful pursuits.
when the task OF the military ma
chine shall have been completed there
will be another great task to be done
= another great organization to be
built up. When the politics of the
world have been thoroly renovated,
then 1t will be high time'the commerce
and industry of our own country re-
ceived a little attention.
I'VE can so on as we are, short
handed. starving for materials and