The Washington herald., 1917-09-05
Army and Navy News
Best Service Column in City.

The Navy Department has been in
formed Of the receipt by the State
Department Of a dispatch from the
United States Ambassador at Buenos
Aires stating that the civil authori-
ties Of that city published letter
prsising the excellent conduct and
bearing Of the enlisted men Of the
navy who were recently ashore from
the feet in South American waters.
Although all sorts of preparations
are under way for providing recrea-
ton centers and Y. NJ. c. A. build
ings at the National Guard mobiliza-
ton camps and national army can
tonments for the enlisted men no
one seems 10 have thought of the
officers in this connection in spite OF
the fact that $500 new officers have
just come into the army and the
large proportion Of them will be on
duty at these camps. That there is
need for such clubs is pointed out by
DR.. Joel E. Goldthwaite. of Boston,
who is a major in the Medical Re-
serve Corps, and who has just re-
turned TO the United States after
three months stay in England and
France, where he has been studying
the orthopedic hospitals established
in those countries since the war be-
gan.
DR.. Goldthwaite, in the course OF
an interview given recently, said, IN
this matter of officers clubs at Amer
lean training camps: I'VE have the
army 'huts' fol- the soldiers, but we.
rarely have any place where the Of
ficers may meet their friends social
ly, and where they may relax from
the routine # discipline. In England
there are many officers clubs-or
overseas clubs, as they are called.
The officers need wholesome relaNa-
ton and entertainment, just as the
men do; and they cannot well have
il in the confines of the camp.
These officers clubs should be
established near every training camp
in the United States, for they are
useful for officers going through as
well as those stationed at the re-
spective camps. At an officers cluo'
it should be possible for the members
to obtain meals and sleeping quar-
tiers for themselves or their guests.
Such service could be furnished at
reasonable price. and. without initla-
ton fees, the officers can afford to
patronize them. Otherwise, officers
visiting or stationed at the camps
are Obliged. now and then, to potron-
ize a hotel, and to patronize a hrst-
class hotel is expensive, and to pat
ronize a poorer one lowers the dlg-
nifty of the rank and is objectionable
for other reasons. In England ana
France former clubhouses or man
sions are used for officers clubs and
the officers greatly appreciate the IA
cilities offered them. The surgeons
for instance, who went from TINS
country TO study and work in ortho-
pedics, are members Of these clubs.
and 1t makes conditions much pleas
anter for them than IL they had TO
hunt their acquaintances in chance
hotels"
II costs 1862 to equip an infantry
man for service in France. according
to computations at the War Depart
ment. The cost is divided as follows:
Clothing. etc, $l0l.2l; eating utensils.
etc, s7S; fighting equipment, s47.S;
total, SlJ55O.
Prices are subject TO frequent
changes. so cannot be taken as
absolutely accurate in every case.
Steel helmets and gas masks are being
bought in France and England, as
well as manufactured in this country,
and the costs of those bouSht abroad
and made here differ. The figure
given for a rife Is the cost of making
the Limited States rife, model 19s,
generally known as the Springfield.
The first 900 to $1,000 troops to go
to France will carry This weapon. The
so-calIed Enfield rife. used by British
troops, is being manufactured to
euuip other American troops, and IL
officially known as the United states
rife, model 1871" This is being made
on a -plus-proft' basis 50 that
no accuate figure for it can now be
given.