Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-04-06
GREAT AMOUNT,
OF WORK DONE
IN YE['AR0F WAR
Achievements During First
Year Of Conflict Divided
Among -Four Sections

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Washington, April 6.-The FIRST an.
ntversary Of the entrance Of The Unit
ed> States into the war hnds the great
resources Of the country just coming
into the struggle but rapidly being
prepared. ~
The achievements of the first year
are chiefly divided between the army,
which has been supplying and train-
ing forces; the navy which has been
hunting the submarine and conveying
troops and supplies to Europe, the
shipping board which has been build
ing a merchant marine and the treas
ury Which~has beenya advancing credits
to the allies.
In all other departments of the
government there has been a ire
mendous effort to bring all the force
OF the country's RESOURCES and POWER
chine. 3
For military reasons it is not per-
Missile to state the exact number Of
American troops in France with Gen
eral Pershins's expedition, but Sec
rotary Baker, in recent testimony be-
fore the senate military committee
predicted half a million men would
be there early this year and that an
other million would be ready to go
during the year.
American troops have taken up sew
eral positions on the fighting line in
France, have occupied a sector of
their W northwest of Toul. and
have had numerous encounters with,
the Germans. Official. statements
from British and German army head
quarters have shown that certain
American fighting forces were thrown
into the battie brought On by the
the British war office first reporting
them as fighting shoulder to shoulder
with the British and. French troops
in~the vicinity of Roye.
BY referring to the combined fore
es Of the~regular army and national
guard a year ago., and comparing the
strength of the regular army now, the
National guard mustered into the
federal service, and the men of the
first draft in cantonments, it is APP
parent that the total number of
ready fighting men has been increas-
ed from a meager two hundred thou
sand to something like a million and
a half, with about ten million me
registered under the draft still avail
able for calls to the colors.
Military experts have estimated
that should the war be prolonged and
1t become necessary for the United
States to assume the burden of car
Trying on the conflict an armySbf five
million men would no be improb-
able. The immense and sudden ex-
pansion of the army has not been
without criticism but, it is declared,
this was expected. in the, conversion
into a, fighting force of a nation ira
%ditionally welded to the pursuits OF
peace.
The expansion of the naval forces
has been characterized n congress by
many as praiseworthy. The exact de.
tails, here too. are shrQuded in score
cy rs a military measure, but it.. is
well known that an emergency wal
building program has been pushed
with such rapidity that the United
! States is we'll on the way to a place
second only to Great Britain as q
naval force. and that in destroyers
alene-most proved and deadly weap:
next year will have h greatest flee
Ion the seven seas. Since the United
States went to war, the navy has
placed contracts for practically
thousand vessels. and besides tina,
took charge of repairing h seizec
German and Austrian ships damaged
by their crews at the orders of the
German government.
The case Of the great liner Water
viathah, is a. fair example of the eff
iciency and speed with which the
naval engineers conducted that work
when the Germans finished thei,
work Of destruction the Vaterland',
commander remarked he would taxi
his hat off to the. Americans wht
could put the ship in shape in TIM
to be Of any service. 81 r
Within six months from the tim,
was in running order and since. tn,
navy has announced, has carried
numbers of American troops ant
great quantities of supplies to tn,
fighting. lines in France.
BY taking the ships and men Of tn
coast = guard into its fleets, by tn
merging Of naval volunteers and ma
val militia. and with the growth o
the marine corps. the navy has ex
panded its forces, practically f1v
times since the country vent to wal
In its immense task of conveying
troops there have been some lossei
notably the 4Tuscania and the Antilles
!, but the losses of life have been fortu
nately small in comparison, with tn
) numbers Of troops transported. A
the same time the American destroy
erS, working Win the bflt1Sn In stn
submarine zone have made them
selves a terror to the undersea boat.
How many of these craft they hav
accounted for remains a military sec
ret.
| The treasury, concerned wit
financing the war, has raised fror
Liberty Bonds and War Saving
: Stamp sales more, than IS. 200, 900. 0O(
, and on this, the first anniversary Q
the declaration of war on German,
is launching the third Liberty Loar
! Treasury estimates nut the 'expens
Of the first year Of the war at abou
So, 900, 900. 900 exclusive of the. ad
: vances to the allies.
I These advances to all the allie
/ have totalled. " to the close {
March $4,96N600, 900. The Unite
States has been secured with tn
i, bonds or obligations of the countrie
( TO which the money was advanced
More than $135.O0 900 of the SUI
went to Russia before the debacle pl
tho country out of the war. What r.
Q turn the United States will get, /.
any, is considered doubtful.
Chairman Hurley of the shippin
7 board in a recent speech in Ne
4 York at whissh he outlined the shir
building program fully for the fir
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