New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-04-06
fRY Tho Associated Press1

WASHINGTON. April 5.--The first
anniversary of the entrance of the
United States into the war finds the
great resources of the country just
coming into the struggle, but rapidly
being prepared
The achievements of the first year
chiefly divided between the army. which
has been supplying and training fight
ing forces; the navy, which has been
hunting the submarine and conveying
troops and supplies to Europe; the
Shipping Board, which has been build
ing a merchant marine, and the Treas
ury, which has been advancing credlts
to the allies.
In all other departments of the gov
eminent there has been tremendous
effort 20 bring all the force of the
country's resources and power to the
aid of the actual fighting machine.
For military reasons 1t Is not per
MISSILE to state the exact NUMBER Oh
American troops in France with Gen
eral Pershing's expedition, but Secre-
tary Raker. in recent testimony before
the Senate Military Committee. pre-
dicted half a million men would be
there early this year and that another
milliou would be ready to go during
the year.
American troops have taken up sew
eral positions on the fighting line IN
France, have occupied a sector OF their
own northwest of Toul, and nave had
numerous encounters with the ger
mans. Official statements from British
and German army headquarters have
shown that certain American fighting
forces were thrown into the battle
brought on by the great German often
siye this spring. the British War Office
first reporting them as fighting shout
der to shoulder with the British and
French troops in the vicinity of Roye.
100000 Fighting Men
By referring to the combined forces
of the regular army and National
Guard a year ago, and comparing the
strength of the regular army now, the
National Guard mustered into Federal
service, and the men of the first draft
in cantonments, it is apparent that the
total number of ready fighting men
has been increased from a meagre two
hundred thousand to-something like a
million and a half, with about ten
million men registered under the draft
still available for calls to the colors.
Military experts have estimated that
should the war be prolonged and it be-
come necessary for the United States
to assume the burden Of carrying o..
the conflict, an army Of five million
men would not be improbable. The
immense and sudden expansion of the
army has not been without criticism,
but it is declared this was expected in
the conversion into a fighting force of
a nation additionally welded to the
pursuits of peace.
The expansion of the naval forces
has been characterized in Congress by
many as praiseworthy. The exact de-
tails here, too, ara shrouded in secrecy
as military measure. but it is we'll
known that an emergency war building
programme has been pushed with such
rapidity that the United States is we'll
on the way to a place second only to
Great Britain as naval force, and
that in destroyers alone-most proved
and deadly weapon against the subma-
rine-the navy ny next year will have
the greatest fleet on the seven seas.
Since the United States went to war the
navy has placed contracts for prac-
tically thousand vessels. and besides
that took charge Of repairing the seized
German and Austrian ships damaged
by their crews at the orders of the
German government.
Quick Work on Vaterland
The case of the great liner Water
land, now the United States ship Levi
athan. is fair example Of the eff
fciency and speed with which the naval
engineers conducted that work. When
the Germans finished their work of
destruction, The Vaterlands com
mander remarked he would take his