Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1918-04-10
EXPANSION OF ARMY AND NAVY'S WORK
Big FEATURES OF FIRST YEAR OF WAR
Official Statements of Government Departments Disclose Activities
of United States in Past Twelve Months - Land Forces
now Aggregate More Than Million and Half
Men-Navy Personnel TripIed

sions. In the third series OF camps,
opened January S. 1918, about $4,000
candidates, consisting largely of en-
listed men, have been in attendance.
Corps Of Engineers.
| AT the beginning of the war the en-
gineer troops consisted of three regi-
ments Of pioneer engineers. with
| trains, one mounted company, one en-
| gineer detachment at West Point. The
aggregate strength was approximate
| ly 4,125 officers and enlisted men. At
| present the aggregate authorized
strength is over 100000, with an act
| ual strength of approximately 10000.
OF the special engineer units re-
| cruited for service on railways and in
| the maintenance of lines of communi-
! cation, many are already in France
| and others are awaiting recruitment
| to full strength in order to be ready
| for overseas service. The first en-
gineer troops, 100 strong, to be sent
! abroad, arrived in France about three
months after war was declared. Since
| that time the number has been greatly
augmented. These troops have been
| constantly engaged in general en-
| cheering work, including the con-
| struction of railways, docks, wharves,
environments, and hospitals for the use
of the American eXpeditionary forces.
They have, in some instances, in the
performance of their duties, engaged
in active combat with the enemy.
Ordnance Department.
Since the outbreak of war the
commissioned personnel of the ord
nance department has expanded from
81 officers, operating with yearly ap-
preparations of about $14,000,000 and
with manufacture largely confined to
government arsenals, to 5000 officers
in this country and abroad, transacting
an unprecedented war program for the
supply of ordnance, the total direct
appropriations and contract authorize
lions for one year having been $4,-
756, 500, 1S5.
While building the foundation for
greater production the ordnance de-
partment has provided 100000 rifles !;
has brought the rate of rifle production
up to $4,000 per week, sufficient to
equip three army divisions; secured
deliveries on more than 1900 ma
chine guns; brought the rate Of pro-
duction of machine guns from 10000
to 225,00O per year increased the rate
of production of 31a to 9-inch cali
Der guns from 1000 to $4,000 per year :;
and has arranged for the manufacture
of some $4,000 motortrucks and trac-
tors for hauling heavy guns and am
munition, which are being delivered
almost as fast as they can be shipped.
One billion rounds of ammunition
has been purchased for the training
of troops in the environments alone.
An idea of the extent of the ord
nance program may be gained from
the following few items of purchase:
Twenty-three million hand grenades,
725,000 automatic pistols, 100000 re-
volvers, 100000 projectiles for all
calibers of heavy artillery, 427 ,246,000
pounds of explosives, 100000 machine
guns, and 2,4S4,000 rifles.
Quartermaster Corps.
The magnitude of the work of the
quartermaster corps is indicated by
the operation of the subsistence divi-
sion, which is charged with the re-
sponsibility of seeing that food sup
plies for the army are available at all
stations from the Philippines to Lor-
raine. Purchases recently made in
Guided 100000 pounds dried beans,
100000 cans baked beans of the
1917 crop, 65,1S4,475 cans of tomatoes,
91,00O,000 cans of condensed milk, and
20,287, 900 pounds of prunes.
The establishment of the subsistence
division centralized the purchases of
foodstuffs for the army, previous to
which such products were distributed
through the depot quartermaster. Eff
fective January 1, the central control
cheney and big saving. In January,
for instance, 100000 was saved under
this system as compared with the
prices obtained by depot quartermas-
tiers, and in February a saving of
$780, TAO was made on potatoes alone.
The central control system Is still be-
ing perfected.
Production of 10000 new automobile
trucks is in progress for the army, in
addition to purchases of $500 passen-
ger cars, 6,126 motorcycles, and 5,04O
bicycles, with appropriate repair and
replacement equipment.
In three months the cantonment di-
vision of the quartermaster generals
department built 16 environments, each
one practically small city, compris-
ing about 1,400 separate buildings and
providing quarters for $1,000 men.
Air Service.
The air service has been called
upon in the past u months to build
an enormous structure of the most
highly trained personnel and the most
enormous machines are rather excep-