Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1918-04-06
AMERICA MAKES
VAST STRIDES IN
TWELVE MONTHS
Army Navy, Shipping Board
and Treasury Are All Striy-
ing to Launch Mighty Power
Against Teuton MiItariSts.
tsv MORNING Jouss., SPECIAL LEASED VISA

fsr MoHNiNo JouRssl SPECIAL LEASED wisEl
Washington. April 5.-The first an
nlversary of the entrance of the Unit
ed 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
arc chiefly divided between the army,
which has been supplying and train
ing fighting forces the navy. which
has been hunting the submarine and
conyoving troops and supplies to Eu-
rope, the shipping board. which has
been building a merchant marine, and
the treasury, which has been advanc-
ing credits to the allies.
IN all other departments of tho
government there has been a tre-
mcndous effort to bring all the force
or the country's resources and power
to the aid of the actual fighting ma
chine.
For military reasons il is not per-
missble to state the exact number
of American troops in France with
General Pershing's expedition, but
Secretary Baker, In recent testimony
before the senate military committee,
predicted half a million men would
be there early this year and that an
other million would be ready to go
during the year.
Have Important Part.
American troops have taken upa
several positions on the fighting line
In France. have occupied "a sector OF
their own northwest of Toul, and have
had numerous encounters with the
Germans. Official statements from
British and German headquarters
have shown that certain American
fighting forces were thrown into the
battle brought on by the great Ger
man offensive this spring, the British
war office first reporting them as
shoulder to shoulder with the
British and French troops in the vi
cinity of Roye.
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
meager 200, 900 to something like a
million and half, with about ten
million men registered under the
draft still available for calls to the
colors
Army of Five Million Likely.
Military experts have estimated
that should the war be prolonged and
it become necessary for the United
States to assume the burden of carry
ing on the conflict an army of five
million men would be improbable.
The immense and sudden expansion
of the army has not been without crit
II ts
in the conversion into fighting force
of nation tradtionally 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, are shrouded in se-
crecy as a military measure, but 1t is
well known that an emergency war
building program has been pushed
with such rapidity that the United
States is well on the way to a place
second only to Great Britain as a
naval force, and that in destroyers
proved and deadly
weapon of the submarine-the navy
by next year will have the greatest
fleet on the seven seas. Since the
United States went to war, the navy
has placed contracts for practically
thousand vessels, and beside that took
charge OF repairing the seized German
and Austrian ships damaged by their
crews at the orders of the German
government.
Missed His Guess.
The case of the great liner Water
land now the United States ship
Is a fair example Of the
efficiency and speed with which the
nevu engineers conducted that work.
When the. Germans finished their