The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1918-10-03

dllu lIUlr OI luTs
nlshing Tuscumbia, Ala, say, with
better milk. Actually, however, the
relation of one to the other is so
real and intimate that the chief of
ordnance of the United States war de-
partment has approved plans whereby
not only Tuscumbia, but also dozens
Of other cities and towns where ord
nance material is manufactured, will
get better milk and better living con-
,ditions generally. 1t has been found
that where living conditions are bad
and housing provisions inadequate,
ordnance workers become discontinued
and production lags.
Tuscumbia, Sheffield and Florence,
Ala, contain the employees of the
three great government nitrate plants
located in the vicinity of Mussel
Shoals. Like most small towns sud-
denly required by the present war to
accommodate huge ordnance enter
prises planted in their midst, these
three communities were wholly unable
to afford proper housing, and condi-
lions rapidly got beyond control. The
better and more desirable Of the work.
ers, with their families, grew restless.
"A transformation is now in progress
under direction of the community or
ganlzation branch. Vice centers have
been eradicated, the sale of liquor
has been placed under rigid-control.
A public market has been established
for the three towns. Here farmers
from the surrounding districts take
their products and dispose of them to
representatives of the ordnance
plants. Wagons of the ordnance de-
partment then cart the produce to the
plants and sell 1t at cost to the work
ers.
Central bureaus for these three
towns have undertaken the housing
problem. Parks and Fairgrounds are
being planned for the workers and
their families. The communities them
selves have been awakened to the
significant part which such improve
ments play in the business of making
munitions and Of winning the war.
Statistics gathered under. direction
of Brig. Gen. r. e. Wood, acting quar-
termaster general of the army, show
that the cost of equipping and main
tanning a soldier overseas is $4223.47 a
year. To equip and maintain a soldier
in the United States costs $327.7S a
year.
Subsistence, figured ut 60 cents a
day, amounts to 1921. S5 per man over
seas; figured at SO cents a day in the
United States, it amounts to $189.SO
per man. The cost of the initial equip
ment for the soldier the first year in
the United States is $115.3O. The cost
of the initial equipment. Of the soldier
overseas for the first year is 1921.
This cost of $42.41 is for articles
which are issued for overseas use only
and which are in addition to the regu-
lar equipment. Thus it appears that
If the soldier going overseas did not
take with him a great deal of his
equipment already supplied him in the
United States, the contrast between
the cost Of equipping and maintaining
q soldier in this country and abroad
would be much more marked.
The largest private telephone branch
in the world is the one that serves the
increasing needs of the war depart.
ment in Washington. 1t fills a special.
ly constructed three-story building con.
tanning AZ "positions''-an office bigger
than the Central in many a con: r.
able city. Thirty additional "posi-
lions" are in course of installation.
On July 1 this branch served 3,17S
extensions; IN August 1, 1926. 1t re.
quires 126 trunk lines for incoming
calls; 76 trunk lines for outgoing
calls, local and suburban toll; II pri-
vate toll lines to New York, Philadel-
phia, Baltimore, Detroit (via Cleve-
land), Hoboken and Newport News,
and los tie lines to other government
stations in Washington.
An average of four records taken
during July shows 80 ,93sl outward and
1864 inward calls in "a hours. In the
"peak" hours the calls often run as
high as 1884 an hour. The operating
force consists of 80 persons.
The United States war industries
board has announced that agricultural
periodicals must reduce their con
sumption of print paper Is per cent
under regulations for the conservation
of print paper adopted by that board.
The regulations were to become efec-
tive October 1, 1918.
A committee Of publishers recon-
mended the use of lighter body paper;'
discontinuance of subscriptions in ar
rears; free exchanges to be cut off
and free copies to advertisers and adj
vertising agencies to be restricted;
abandonment Of sales at nominal or
exceedingly low price, of prize con-
tests for subscriptions and special or
holiday numbers except such as have
been regularly issued in the past.
Establishment of new papers during