Evening star., 1917-09-29

NO SpeClaI attentlOnS were pAlu To-
days details. though a big contingent
Of Baltimore city and county men get
ting in shortly after the arrival of the
District men was met by one Of the
bands, playing, as usual, My Mary
land" and Hail. Hail. the Gangs All
Here"
Pleased With Officers.
District men in camp are unanimous
in praise of the officers of their com
panies and battalions. the 31oth and
312th Machine Gun battalions. With
out exception. the men say, no finer
set of officers could be desired. and
the officers seem to be equally well
pleased with the men in their COM
mands
Harvest hand appetites are the rule
among the men from the District. and
the only complaint that Is heard is
that they don't get enough to eat
The food is fine" one man after an
other declared this morning. and 1t is
well cooked, the only trouble Is that
there isn't enough of it. This drilling
and exercising in the open air and be-
ing out of doors all day. sure does
work up a fellows appetite"
Plant of Mess sergeants.
Besides this, the mess sergeants say
they are not able to provide properly
for the company messes. because every
meal brings a new bunch of men to the
companies that were not expected or
provided for when requisitions for ra-
tions were made out. Capt. Taylor, to
whose company the most of the Dis
would be remedied Immediately. There
is plenty Of food of all kinds in the
camp commissary, he said, and as long
as that is the case the men are going
to be properly fed. Butter is to be in
cluded in the ration. he said, as there
Is plenty to be had. The men have
missed butter for the first-class bread
turned out by the camp bakery. even
the gravy and jam supplied being un-
satisfactory substitutes.
Foot ball teams are already being or
ganized in the machine battalions. and
the men are practicing formations
punting. forward passing and the like
several times day. Several lieuten-
ants in the battalions are working with
the men. and soccer teams also are
being organized and put to work. A
battalion band is in process Of organ
ization, and from the sounds issuing from
the barracks this morning the process
is a painful one.
Physical Directors Program.
George w. Braden. camp physical di-
rector. arrived this morning and told
expects to do in organizing camp ath-
letics. He was in charge of athletics
at the officers reserve camp at Fort Nj
agara- At a meeting to be held Tues
day night at the Central Y. NJ. c. A.
building, opposite the Camp Meade post
office, a program is to be outlined for
the season. including interregimental
events, foot ball. soccer, cross-country
runs. basket ball and other collegiate
sports. An officer to be in charge Of
athletics has been appointed for each
unit In camp. these to cooperate with
Mr. Braden.
Some excitement was caused today by
the report that the military police. who
are members of the 10th New York n
G. Regiment here, had arrested spy.
The man was taken into custody at
Disney. Day before yesterday he was
in camp in Regular Army uniform
and was noticed to be acting in a sus-
picious manner. Yesterday afternoon he
showed up in the uniform of the Navy
He is being held for investigation.
Lieut. Col James j. MayeS. judge
advocate of the camp. who has been on
temporary duty at the office of the
Judge advocate general in Washington,
returned this morning
Expect President to Visit Camp.
An air OF expectancy hOVereQ over
division headquarters today. as 1t was
reported the President would drop in
on the camp some time during the aft
ernoon in the course of his Saturday
afternoon motor trip. No announcement
was received to this effect. however
a proper reception awaiting him.
Athletic officers appointed for the
31oth and 312th Machine Gun Battalions
are First Lieuts. William F. McGi1l and
al.
Constantly reiterated comment by the
medical officers as well as the officers
of the companies to which the men are
assigned is to the effect that the work of
the local boards has been done in such a
thorough manner as to make the task of
getting the men actually into the National
Army an easy one.
In Machine Gun Battalion.
Yesterdays details were assigned to the
312th Machine Gun Battalion. as was the
contingent that came in Thursday
The barracks in which the men are
quartered are separated only by COM
pany street and the men visit back and
forth much of the time. A feature that
pleases the District men is that no re-
strictions have been placed on their
movements around the camp.
They are permitted to go wherever
they please, bearing in mind the hours
of the various drills and exercises: Nat
urally the men are always right on
hand at meal times.
So far the men have had no butter,
but that is coming, and the only reason
they have not had it is that il has not
been possible to issue butter rat ations to
all organizations as yet.
Welcome Change in Schedule.
A welcome change has been made in
the schedule of drills. etc. by the elm
ination of work on Wednesday and Sat
urday afternoons. Instead of having
the entire day of Saturdays the men
are to be given two half days off dur
ing the week. On Sundays no work
aside from the necessary police and
fatigue duty is to be performed
Have Good Time Generally.
The morning calistehnics today were
performed under the most agreeable
weather conditions. so the men went
through the work with a lot of snap.
AS soon as the early morning work was
done the men got busy with foot balls,
hand balls. basket balls and base bali
outfits, and all over the camp squads.
companies or whole battalions were
busy batting fungoes. kicking. passing
and throwing the balls and having a
good time generally
The men are being ENCOURAGED to de-
vote as much time as possible to this
kind OF sport. as it Is relief from the
tedium of drill hardens the muscles and
keeps the men In condition. A director
OF athletics has been designated for
Camp Meade and is expected here at