Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1918-01-10
SECRETARY OF WAR
CONTINUED from page One)

cludlng artillery, machine guns, auto
matte rifles and small arms-haye
been provided by manufacture or
purchase for every soldier in France
and are available for every soldier
who can be gotten to France in the
year 1913.
Army in France Effective
ga substantial army is already in
France where both men and Officers
have been additionally and specifieal'
ly trained and are ready for active
service. No army of similar size in the
history of the world has ever been
raised, equipped or trained SO quick
ly. No such provision has ever been
made for the comfort, health and gen
eraI well being Of an army.
"The health report for December
for a variety Of reasons became sud
denly less favorable than for the pre-
ceding months, but the unfavorable
conditions have been met and improve
ment is already apparent.
Bakers statements were made, he
said, with full realization that
some expressions of doubt, differ
Ience of opinion and disapproyal' have
been submitted to the probers.
"The war department, " he contin-
lued, has spent months hearing sim
liar expressions, analyzing them, cor
recting the conditions out of which
they grew, perfecting its organization
to prevent their recurrence; and all
the while driving on to the accomplish
Iment of the main task. "
Willing to Give Facts
~ am glad to lay before the COM
mittee and the country certain facts
with reference to the war departments
work, - said Baker, opening his testi-
mcny. "Not all Of it is new to you,
but it is well to have some underlying
facts freshly in our minds at times
when the consideration of details,
however important in themselves,
might otherwise obscure the real pro-
Igress made in the central task.
efThe war department is anxious to
profit by all helpful criticism and !
thank the committee for the inquiries
which it has made and for the cooper
alton which it is giving and will give
in making our proposition increasing
ly adequate and speedy.
HOW the Army Grew
"On the first day of April, 1917,
the regular army comprised 5791 Off
GERS and 121 ,797 enlisted men; the ma
Iticnal guard in federal service approx
imatcly 1877 officers and 1918 en-
listed men; and the reserve four thou
sand enlisted men. There were also at
that time approximately 2733 officers
in the reserve, but as they were on
active duty they cannot properly be
considered in estimating the strength
of the army of the United States at
that time.
"On the 31st day Of December, 1917
the regular army consisted of 10,230
officers and N-5,000 enlisted men; the
national guard of 16,031 officers and
.475,000 enlisted men; the national ar
nv of 100000 men and the reserve of
S4,57g officers and 1880 enlisted
men. In other words, in nine months,
the increase has been from 1924 eff
GERS to 110,S56 officers; from 202,510
to 1,42S,640 men.
Spanish War Army
"During the war with Spain, the
army of the United States at its max
imum strength aggregated $4,000 men
and officers. The army now in the
field and in training is, therefore,
roughly six times as great as the max
imum number under arms in the Span
ish-American war.
"The total number already in the
military service is one and half
times as large as any force mobilized
by this nation.
" A substantial part of our military
forces was selected by the operation
of the draft law, the execution OF
which has demonstrated both the eco
nomical and the efficient way of Sc
lecting soldiers. The law was drawn,
it's execution carried to a successful
conclusion and the theory of the law,
novel to ouh people, explained and
made popular, because of its demon
strated fairness both in plan and ex-
eeution.
Vast Appropriations
f'For the quartermaster general s
department in 1917, $3,0lS,000,000 was
appropriated, or a sum mere than four
times as great as the 1915 appropria-
tions for all government purposes.
con the first day of April there
were 347 officers in the quartermas-
ter s corps.
.'On the first day of January, 1918,
nearly two billion dollars of the appro-
priation had been obligated by con
tracts or disbursements.
''In the woolen goods section alone
the cooperation Of over 800 mills was
Involved and the following items give
Prefer Chamberlain
NrftrN