Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1918-06-22
ARTILLERY NEARLY
ALL IS MOTORIZED
AMERICAN ARMY TO GO FURTHER
IN THIS RESPECT THAN HAS
ANY OTHER.
NOTIFYING OF CASUALTIES
How the War Department Informs
Relatives of Killed and Wounded
SoIdlers-Radio and Buzzer Opera
ton Taught in 600 Schools.


soIdlers-Rado and Buzzer Opera
ton Taught in 600 Schools.
F'rom Committee on Public Information)
Washington.-MO of field
artillery will be carried to greater
extent in the American army than in
any other army engaged in the war.
Not only will a far greater amount of
motor equipment be provided in pro-
portion to the strength of the army,
but 1t will be used for work where
armies now In the field depend solely
upon horse power and man power.
The ordnance department has sue
ceeded in developing such types of
tractors that, exclusive of the heaviest
field artillery mounted on railroad car
riages. all American artillery will be
motorized, with the exception of some
of the three-inch gun batteries. The
| problem of motorizatlon OF field artil-
lery is a difficult one, which explains
why it has not been carried out to a
greater extent than has been the case
| with the armies that have been fight
ing in Europe for the last three years.
The possible output of tractors for
| the transport of field artillery in the
United States is practically unlimited,
whereas the supply of horses is at
present limited and is becoming more
| so each month.
Ralatiyas of soldiarc named in cos-
ualty lists forwarded from France or
dinarily are notified within "a hours
| after receipt of the lists, according to
a statement authorized by the war de-
| partment. A statistical DIVISION"
with staff of officers and a corps of
| stenographers, gives all its time to
the maintenance of files of soldiers
names and addresses. This division
notifies relatives.
A copy of the roster of each contin-
gent sailing to join the expeditionary
forces is filed in card index fashion,
each card bearing the name of one sol
der, his organization, and the name
and address of parent or other relative
or friend designated by him to be noti-
fed in emergency. When a casualty
list Is received from General Pershing
each name cabled from the American
expeditionary force is listed with the
emergency address on file In the card
index. AS rapidly as the new list with
emergency addresses is built up the
telegraph clerks get duplicates. These
clerks already are supplied with blank
kilograms which require only the rela-
tive's address, name of sender, nature
of casualty and the date, and filling in
the blank spaces they get the tele-
grams off as quickly as possible. In
addition to maintaining the telegraph
blanks for the sake of speed the statis-
teal division is supplied with sets of
form letters to be filled in and mailed
when further details are available.
While relatives are generally in re-
ceipt of information within "a hours
after the cables are received. delays
are sometimes due to clerical errors
caused by the fact that names must
pass through so many hands in France
and in America, incorrect emergency
addresses turned in by soldiers, re-
moval of families to addresses other
than those listed, and the occasional
necessity for cabling back to General
Pershing to verify name or to obtain
an address.
Aside from these four causes of de-
lay the only reason for the failure of
relatives to receive word at once is
Ganaral parCb-
ing may, at his discretion, withhold a
casualty list until he Is positive
II will have no military value to the
enemy.
Through the operation Of repair
shops for clothing and other articles,
considerable saving in reissue of new
equipment has been made at army
camps. One camp quartermaster esti-
mates the issue of new clothing has
decreased third, and of shoes 40
per cent.
At base repair shop for clothing
an average of 2,S31 garments were re-
paired daily during the first IS days of
| May. In addition to the work done at
| base repair shops. many thousands of
garments are repaired at camp shops,
one shop being located at each large
camp.
During April nearly 10000 pairs of
shoes were repaired In army repair
shops. At present practically all hat
| repairing is done by contract, the
price varying from 80 to 80 cents per
hat.
This work is in charge of the conser-
walton and reclamation division of the
quartermaster corps. which has been
In operation only during the last four
months.