The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1918-10-05
Qounds)
52,Sso,OOO


Tractors 484
''We had in the regular army of the
United States in April, 1917, 127,5SS
men, said Mr. Lunn. III the nation
at that time had said to the War De
partment We shall expect you to
take your regular army OF 1883 men
and, in effect, divide them into compa
MES OF ten each, and, by September
1918. we Shall expect each OF these
companies TO be recruited up to full
strength of ESQ men, giving us an
army OF 100000 men; and, further,
we shall expect these men to be thor
ouehly equipped with rifles and other
munitions. thoroughly trained as fight.
ing forces. well clothed, sufficient
food provided, shelter, in the form OF
great eantonments; arrangements for
medical service. with hospital accom-.
modations for thousands; the develop
ment OF an air service; the develop.
ment OF ocean transportation. that we
may send hundreds of thosuads of
troops to France; say that II such an
order had been given to the War De.
partment at the declaration of hostili-
ties Il would have seemed an impos-
sible task. But the nation went fur
Their, saying, in effect, to the War De-
partment:
4 1--WE shall expect you to have a
fighting force of 100000 men by Sep
TENDER, 1918; and between April.
1917. and August, 1918, we shall ex.
pect you to furnish the following ar
ticles: Shoes, marching and field,
s7.276,OO0: coats, cotton and wool,
total 19,527000; breeches, cotton and
wool, total $4,000 shirts, cotton
and flannel, total 25,4S7,O 900; under.
shirts. cotton and winter, total 1891,
600; drawers, cotton and winter, total
S3,042 600; stockings, cotton and wool,
total 156,672OOO; hats. service, T.
'779 900, and blankets, 21,005,OO0, We
shall expect you to furnish between
April 1917, and September 1918, the
following quantities of six staple food
articles: Bacon, 11451,670 pounds
-four, 625.461 1892 pounds; dry beans,
I 02.S94742 pounds; rice. 3S.421 ,256
pounds; tomatoes. 72,274.529 cans;
sugar, 1S65S2,316 pounds. We shall
expect you to purchase $4,000 rolling
kitchens to properly prepare this
food
1--WE shall expect you to purchase
1,064,251 tons OF hay and 592,7i9 tons
Of oats. We shall expect you TO pur
chase g7S,732 horses and 1S19i5
mules. AS necessity for the trans
portatlon OF materials and men by
land we expect You to provide 106,O0
motor trucks. 10000 passenger cars
$4,000 motor cycles, 1880 Bicycles
and $4,000 cargo and tank trailers.
SIN air service We shall expect yol
to increase your officers from 65 I,
, 1876. we shall expect an enlargement
; Of your enlisted force from 1870 !,
, H7iS4. Instead OF your three sinal
, aviation fields we shall expect you {
provide Twenty-Five flying fields
Thoroughly equipped for the trainin
OF Americas flying forces This wi
4 be in addition to the American all
!. dromes and assembly fields in Franc
!. and England. We shall expect yol
4 By September, 1918; to produce 6,9S
training planes. LAO De Hayllap
r planes, 7,647 Liberty motors and -
q 500 training engines. BY Septembe
1918, we shall expect you to hav
5000 ayiators training In the Unite
States, besides 1000 awaiting assign
: ment to ground schools, and that on
OF the total registration up to Sept
1918, we shall expect the fighting fol
ces under arms to number 100000
, mer.
III the nation had called upon tn
War Department at the declaration I
WAR TO meet this colossal program ;
would have seemed too staggering 70
achievement, and yet 1t has bee
, done.
: ~ the nation had said to the Wa
Department In ATril, 1917 we 'sha
' expect you to transport more tina
100000 troops for foreign service b
J Oct. l.. 1915, Il would have sounde
! like the weird tale OF the impossible,
and yet 1t hds been done W'''
THE figures | have given are ne
the figures OF estimate. but the figure
OF accomplishment The most tr,
mendous program in the history !
mankind has been successfully carrie
out by the War Department in N
. last seventeen mbntlis. Germany
/, Wanted efficiency has nothing to con