The Colorado statesman., 1918-01-26
TRADESMEN NEEDED
IN SIGNAL CORPS
WILL BE ACCEPTED, ALTHOUGH
REGISTERED, If QUALIFIED
ALONG CERTAIN LINES.
BOOKS FOR OUR FIGHTERS

More Than Half Million Already
Furnished Soldiers and Sailors by
American Library Association
What the Hat Cord Denotes.
From Committee on Public Information }
Washington.-Men qualified along
certain lines, although registered un-
der the selectlve-servlce law, may be
inducted into the land division of the
Signal Corps which is in need of men
for the following duties:
Chauffeurs, motorcycle drivers, and
gas engine repalrmen for duty In field
and telegraph battalions; telegraph
ers, both wire and radio; telephone
men, including switchboard operators,
telephone repairmen, and men skilled
in testing and repairing telephone
lines; telephone and telegraph line
men; photographers, still and moving;
homlng-pigeon men; radio men who
are familiar with installing radio APP
paratus; men qualified as cooks,
clerks, stenographers. blacksmiths,
meteorologists, cobblers, cable men,
etc.
Men inducted for this division, un-
less otherwise requested by the chief
signal officer Of the army, are sent to
Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
More than half n million books al
ready have been furnished soldiers and
sailors in training camps and in France
by the American Library Association
{ Al q L.,
increasing. according to the director
of this work.
campaign for funds inaugurated
by the association last autumn netted
more than S15OOOO0 and real results
in the tangible shape of books and
comfortable libraries are being felt by
the soldiers and sailors. The Carne-
gle corporation gave $320,0O0 for the
erection of camp libraries. Nearly
all camps now have libraries and in
the others the buildings are in course
of construction. The reading rooms
each accommodate $50 men.
For the men in France the assocla-
tIon has organized distributing sta
tions at all points of embarkation,
where books are assorted for shipment
abroad. Soon every soldier who steps
on transport will carry a book with
him, which he and his companions will
read on the way across, after which 1t
will be forwarded to the men back of
the trenches. No attempt will be made
to establish libraries In France, but
the association will have representa-
tives there to supervise the work of
distribution.
Just as the sleeve chevrons and
bars, stars and eagles on the shoul-
der proclaims ranking officers, the hat
cord denotes the branch of service
each private has entered.
Light blue signifies infantry; scar
let, artillery; yellow, cavalry; buff,
quartermasters corps; scarlet and
white, engineers corps; orange and
white, signal corps; scarlet and black,
ordnance: black and white, field clerk;
maroon, medical corps black and gold,
officers; silver and black, adjutant
generals clerk; green, instructor home
guards; green and white, home guards.
These cords are worn only on serv-
fee hats.
Cadet aviators wear as hat bands
inch and half white ribbons and on
coat collars insignia representing the
aviation branch of the Signal corps,
propeller blades.
There were 1,42S,650 enlisted men
and 110,S65 officers in the United
States army at the opening of 1913,
more than one and half times as
large as any force ever before mo-
bllized by this nation. according to
a statement by Secretary of War
Baker.
During the war with Spain the army
of the United States at its maximum
strength aggregated 272,0O0 men and
officers. The army in the field and in
training now is practically six times
as great as the maximum number un-
der arms in the Spanish-American war.
About $4,000 officers were commits
stoned from civil life in the two series
of training camps, nearly eight times
as many as the number of officers In
the regular army April 1, 1917.
Postmasters are directed not to ac-
cept for shipment to members of ex-
pedltionary forces packages contain
ing matches. cigar lighters, or solidltied
alcohol. including the preparation call
ed "Sterno" or canned heat.
1t is not deemed safe to admit these
articles to mails for foreign countries
or for United States naval vessels, in
Guiding marines on shore in other coun-
tries.