The Washington times., 1918-02-23
GEN. GOETHALSHAS
0. M. CORPS NOW
RUNNING SMOOTH
Bv DAVID LAWRENCE.
copyright, 1915, BY New York Evening F0s'
-,-1uauv.l

BV DAVID LAW hbLNSL'
downright. 1915. by New York Evening Posi-
Company
Usually it is the things that 60
wrong that are chronicled, the ao-
normal or the extreme.
This is a story of things that are
going right, a survey of the quarter
master corps of the United States
army. which has been completely re-
organized in the last six weeks by
Gen. George W. Goethals, the man
who built the Panama canal.
Given Free Hand.
In the first place, Secretary Baker
has given General Goethals free
hand. Whatever the quartermsster
Eeneral has asked for has been
granted. His grouping Of bureaus
and consolidation Of divisions has
been fully approved. General Goethals.
for instance, thought that the can
tonment division should properly be
in charge OF the engineering CORPS
since il involved construction. The
tranfer has been made.
The Quartermaster general prompt
1y recharted his department. he
organized a general administrative
bureau. a uuartermaster supply con-
troll and a personnel and planning
stan. Under these fall the supply
and equipage division. Reclamation
Bureau, which takes care OF waste;
fuel and forage. subsistence division
Rsmount Bureau. and motors dlVi-
sion. Several other subdivisions OF
these bureaus were created.
On paper they are no less inspiring
10 the lsyman than dozens OF other
charts in other Government depart
ments. But when one examines the
personnel the importance of the divi-
sions is obvious
who's Who in the Jobs.
For example, r. J. Thorne. OF the
big mail order house Of Montgomery
Ward, handles requirements and dis
tribution: ]. T Lilley, the steamship
man; is in charge of embarkation at
New York: A. L. Scott. one Of the
best known New England merchants.
is director of supplies; Z. B. Wentzl
the coal operator, is at the head or
the fuel division, and II. NJ. Adams,
OF the Missouri Pacific, is in charge
Of the internal transportation diVI-
sion.
General Goethals has recruited
. some OF the most capable business
men in the country, commissioner
them majors and captains. and put
them in active charge Of important
bureaus. Much OF the agitation for
a ministry Of munitions has been
based on the idea that regular army
officers have not had the opportunity
10 become experienced in the han
ding Of large quantities OF supplies.
The reorganization in the quarter
master corps is exactly along the
lines ~ the Senate committees IN
veEtiEation I'm the sense that It VIII
provide tue avenues for information
and actNIry which the hearings re-
Nealed as lacking.
Work SPeeded Up.
General Cocktails has speeded up
the work all along the line with the
result that today all the clothing
which our troops will wear in the
sunmerNnonths has been provided for
and the contracts are being let for
overcoats, uniforms and equipment
for next winter.
Again, General Cocktails is not
going to depend upon the railroads
TO get his supplies TO American camps.
Bad weather and freight congestion
due to the movement of raw materials
frequently upset the best laid plans.
He has already extended on a large
scale the warehousing system. Huge
stocks Of reserve supplies are to be
placed in all the environments under
supervision of officers Of the quar-
rermaster corps.
4 division of storage has been or
Sanized. There will also be huge
warehouses at Atlantic ports so that
a cable from General PershinG for
needed supplies can be answered the
same day by the actual movement OF
the supplies needed. They will be
ready always at seaboard.
The interesting thing to record
about General Cocktails today is not
that he is merely planning to do
things. He has already done them.
Our supply system is beginning TO
function smoothly.