The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-03-18
Our Troops Moving at a
Rate That Fulfills Promise
Made by Sec. Baker
100000 ACROSS
BY END OF THE YEAR
Added Efficiency Assists in Handling Of
Ships TO Great Britain-Exchange of
Important.


WASHINGTON, March ls.-Aeeord
ing TO authoritative information from
The war department American troops
are being sent to France faster than at
nav previous time since the war began.
The speeding up process in the matter
of troop shipments, about which so
many forecasts were made, is said to
bc reality.
Concerning numbers, the only permits
siblc statement is that Secretary of
War Bakers promise of half million
men III Europe early this year IS be
ing fulfilled and that there will be
ample means OF getting 100000 troops
in France before next January. After
that the number will depend on how
many more men are needed, measured
i'll millions or in thousands, TO carry
out the mandate of the American peo-
pie to win the war.
With regard to the new records being
established in speeding up shipments
OF troops, the war department regards
these causes as contributing largely to
the marked Improvement in condition:
Improvement i'll the handling OF ships
for troop transportation, whereby one
I ship is made TO do the work OF two
or even three ships under previous
conditions.
Improvement in loading and unload
Ing facilities here and abroad.
Success Of an arrangement witA tho
British government whereby British
ships available for troop shipments are
exchanged for American and other car
90 carriers.
Improved weather conditions.
Disappearance of tine bunker coal
crisis
The records being made do not take
into consideration the acquisition OF APP
rf"Nimetely half million tons OF
Dutch sniII.ng which is 70 be taken
over ~ ffT rTffffeT1 ets'fec.s 'toda'Ts..-
TIE exchange OF troop ships and
cargo carriers being made bv the emit
cd States and Great Britain is highly
Important. according TO army officers
here. There long has been q mistaken
impression that ever time the allies
ere linched for food troop shipments
must slacken materially. This Is not
the case. The ships which carry food
20 III" Aiiics never carry troops. and
eonTers'lT the troop ships do not carry
the foed and supplies which the allies
need. The two plans are worked out
separately.
Incidentally, i; is said here that the
situation with respect TO food shin
mentS TO the allies is improving great
! ~. Great Britain and France admitted
, ~ were worried about cereals for the
month of March, but their fears have
proven unfounaed. The need for CO
reals may be great during April. but
tAls difficulty is not causing concern.
! Mach emphasis is laid at the war
/ department on the improved methods
( "t handling troopships, which have con
! t['puted to such surprising degree to
'ut speeding up. Major.-Gon. Goethals.
! uait"fmaster-g general of the army
ana III charge OF transport facilities
eets mueh of the credit for the recent
evidences of Improvement.
According to army officers. if rnre.
y arbitrary example is taken il il evi.
dent that if it took ship six DAYS to
load. 70 days to reach port and ii,
days to unload the efficiency of thi.
nle"hs OF transportation can he doubled
by loading the same ship in three DAYS
sending ii to Europe in 10 DAYS and IN
loading it in three days. The shin
under new conditions. is equal to two
shitS under the old. 1t has been along
TINS line that Improvements vcrg i'm
portant in character have been carried
out.
II is because of the Importance OF
thus that Secretary Baker is now paw