The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1917-06-06
ONLY SIXTEEN ARMY CAMPS;
THIS STATE WILL GET ONE
War Department Cuts Number of
Cantonments in Two-Act of
Economy.

Washington, June 1.-Important
revisions in the plan for training the
war army have been made by the
War Department., which announced
today that the half million to be
called to the colors in September will
be concentrated in sixteen canton
ments instead of thirty-two, and that
many of the forces probably would
be put into tents instead of wooden
barracks.
Lack of funds, material, labor and
transportation facilities. Secretary
Baker said, were determining infu-
ences in the decision to reduce the
number of environments. The larger
number would have made a much
greater demand on the overtaxed re-
sources at the departments COM
mand.
Four Sites Chosen.
Although the change will upset all
the tentative plans for camp locations
it is not expected to delay the mo-
bilization of the draft army. Four of
the sixteen cantonment sites under
the new plan already have been Sc
lected. The four sites selected are
at Atlanta, American Lake, WASH,
Ayre, Mass, and Wrightown, N. J.
Secretary Baker intimated the build
ing would proceed as rapidly as pos
sible.
A more plentiful supply of canvas
than expected made it possible to
put some of the troops under tents.
Most of the tents used probably will
be placed at Southern camps.
In making the announcement Sec
retary Baker said also that forces in
excess of those which could be cared
for in the sixteen cantonments would
be placed under canvas. This was
taken as referring to National Guard
divisions.
Sixteen Guard Divisions.
There is no indication of an inten-
tion to alter the plan for formation
of sixteen divisions of the guard.
The question of filling these up to
war strength probably will not be
settled until selection of men for
military service in the draft army
begins. 1t is possible that it will be
found better at that time if the State
forces have not been recruited to
full strength, to consolidate into a
small number of divisions, but un-
der the law either the regulars or
guards can be filled up with men
from the selected lists.
Meantime the National Guard
NUTS Of the Eastern portion of the
country will be drafted into the fed
eral armies on July Is. Undoubted-
ly they will be put under canvas as
rapidly as divisional mobilization is
ordered and the plan of training vir-
tually all guard divisions in the
Southern section Of the country viii
be adhered to. The guard already
has a considerable supply of tenage
and the machinery of the Council Of
National Defense is at work endeav-
oring to secure enough for all forces
with little delay.
All of the guard units will have
been drafted into service by August
5. That does not mean, however,
that all will have been ordered to d.
visional training camps at that time,
Presumably the best equipped and
recruited forces will be made ready
first for duty abroad. More than co.
900 guardsmen are engaged in police
work guarding bridges, factories and
other structures and that work will
have to be kept up
The task of building a cantonment
is a big one. Miles of roads, water,
sewer and light construction must be
put in. More than 1000 buildings
must be erected in each camp and
railway connections must be estab-
lished. To begin the simultaneous
construction of thirty-two such cit
les, officials feel would have been
more than the resources of the de-
partment or of the country could
have borne without seriously inter-
rupting the ordinary course of COM
mercial life.
Augusta, June 1.-Gen. Wood, in