New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1918-05-04
100000 IN field
BY FALL OF 1919
Baker Believes That Force Should
Be Ready for Action

! submitted in detail yesterday to the
which has begun the preparation Of
! the army appropriation bill carrying
; SIS, 900. 900, 900 to finance the army
during the next fiscal year.
| Secretary Baker refused to go into
the question of figures involved in the
proposed increase in military man
| power, but it became known at the
| Capitol that the estimates he submit
ted were based on 81 force of not
fewer than 100000 men and 16O,-
! 600, 900 officers being in the field by
July 1, 1919. The plan contemplates
having 1870, 900 officers and 2,16S,00
men, or q total Of 229SOOO in the
field and in camps by July l. 1918,
and approximately an additional mil
lion to be placed in the field before
the end of the fiscal year.
Il don't want to say anything in
figures" said Secretary Baker when
asked how large an army was con-
templated, because I don't want to
be tied down to numbers. My OBJ
lection to using numbers grows out
of the fact that we want to raise just
as large an army as will be needed,
and l want the American people to
feel confident that we are not going
to be handicapped by numbers but
intend to raise an army that will be
large enough in every respect
All of the army camps and canton
ments are to be enlarged, and very
| materially enlarged, to take care of
the training of the men to be raised
in the next twelve months. Secretary
Baker said that the General Staff had
this question under careful consider
alton, and that the idea was to in
crease the size of existing training
camps rather than establish new
camps. These camps, it is estimated,
now have facilities for training close
to a million men at one time.
Secretary. Baker also made it clear
that the total of SIS, 100000 in
volved in the estimate as revised for
the new army bill did not cover the
whole cost Of the army for the next
fiscal year. The $4,000, 1000, he
explained, was in addition to the
large sums that would be carried in
the Notifications appropriation bill,
which covers the cost of heavy ord
nance both here and overseas. Nor
Goes it include the military academy
hill. It was emphasized that al
though estimates were submitted on
the basis of an army Of a certain
size, congress was being asked for
blanket authority for the president
to raise all the men needed, and the
approximate figures of SIS ,000,O 00,-
coo could be Increased by deficiency
q preparations. ".s
100000 in France This Year.
It was brought out in the COM
hot he tyn,y, ,f,y>4c ion
service had improved and that the
war department was able TO send
more men to France each month. 1t
i: estimated that if transport facili-
ties continue to improve, close to l.
100000 fighting men will be on the
western front by the last Of the year.
This country now has in camp and
II the field, it was explained to the
committee, the following enlisted
men and officers
Enlisted men ........ ,765, 600
Officers ............. 120, 900
IOldl J., % Q WV
Opposition to President Fades.
1t became apparent that the OPP
position to giving the president I'M
limited power to determine the size Of
the army was disappearing, and it is
believed the committee will readily
grant him such power. Major General
Crowder has recommended that con-
gress extend this power to the presi-
dent and his recommendations, not
vet formally presented to the COM
mittee, contemplate extending the
draft age. Opinion in the military
affairs committee favors extending the
draft age to 4 @ years.
Secretary Baker merely outlined in
a general way the program the gen.
eral staff has recommended to him.
Distinct features will be explained to
the committee during the next ten
days by experts in the different mill
tary bureaus. Major General March,
who was General Pershing's director
of artillery, is especially interested in
improving this branch of the service.
He will tell the committee on Monday
of the war departments plans to build
up the artillery.
In order to get big guns quickly,
war department officials conceived the
plan of helping the United States
Steel Corporation to build one or two
plants. This corporation has agreed to
devote itself to ordnance, and all it's
resources will be given over to the
government. Money will be advanced
to the corporation which will be pro-
tected in it's expenditures in case the
war should end soon. The plants will
be built at places to be designated by
the war department within short dis
tanceS Of the embarkation points
Before the committee agrees upon
the aviation program, which will be
taken up next Tuesday, there will be
a thorough inquiry into the causes of
the failure in production of aircraft.
Secretary Baker informed the COM
nittee that the airplane building pro-
gram had not been an utter failure
LIE So id that he Melcnlla ed 2 in,.nS-