Arizona republican., 1918-01-11

war department. ''The engineer department, for Whlch in 1917, s57,000.000 was appropriated was charged by the 1918 appropriation with the expenditure of $390.0OO.0Oo or about seven hundred per cent increase. There have been organized ana
 equipped technical troops of foresters, stevedores and railroad construction , operation men, aggregating about 12o,- 900 many of whom have been operating
 in France for some months" In summing up the departments work
 the secretary gave the following as its chief accomplishments: IA large army in the field and
 in training; so large that further ln- crements to it can be adequately equipped and trained as rapidly as these already in training can be trans ; ported
 "2-The army has been enlisted and selected without serious dislocation Of the industries of the country.
 '3-The training of the army is pro- 5 ceeding rapidly and Its spirit is high.
 The subsistence of the army has been |, above criticism.
 s Plenty of Clothes y Its initial clothing supply, tempora-
 rily inadequate is now substantially | = complete and reserves will rapidly ac- = cumulate. Arms of the most modern | T and effective kind-including artillery. | = machine guns automatic rifles and small l
 arms--have been provided by manu- | e facture or purchased for every soldier s in France and are available for every l 7, soldier who can be gotten to France in }. the year 1918. }, "A substantial army is already in - France, where both men and officers = have been additionally and especially
 trained and are ready for active service. 2, "5-Independent lines of communica- 5, tion and supply and vast storage and W other facilities are in process of con-
 struction in France.
 "6-Great programs for the manu- B facture of additional equipment and for d production of new instruments of war g have been formulated"
 e " I make this statement" continued e the secretary, fully aware that there s, have been produced before the mem 1T bers of this committee some express l. sions of doubt, difference of opinion l. and disapproval. The war department
 has spent eight months hearing simi- or lar expressions, analysing them, cor m recting the conditions out of which
 they grew, perfecting it's organization al to prevent their recurrence; and all the ', while driving on to the accomplish n. nent of the main task
 
 20 preciate the work which this com N mittee has done. and will value sug- nt gestiOnS from the committee as l. whole, from it's individual members = and from every patriotic citizen which
 will enable us to carry on the work \ more effectively and more rapidly. \, Tn the foregoing statement there are two exceedingly significant fig | ures. namely, that on the first day of II April the ordnance department con- II sisted of 97 officers and the quarter master generals department of 347 officers, while they now respectively III comprise 3,004 and 6.431 officers. M There was no ready trained body of III men in the country who could have HI been selected suddenly to assume the highly technical and specialized work HI of these two divisions. Men of some III what similar training had to be chosen. NY As the work proceeded, subdivision HI and re-subdivision became possible" HI On December 15, vas. therefore, in III a position to announce a general re- HI organization accomplishing the follow HI ing results:
 HI Reorganization I'll T. Created a war council upon i'll which General Crozier, General Sharpe III General Weaver, General Crowter, ana !!i the chief of staff have been designated HI to sit, with the secretary of war anc III tHc dsSlStdHL SeCTeldiy OI war ana IC MI which council men of capacity, either MI from the army or from civil life, wil IIt be added from time to time. The pur- III pose of the council is that its members HI being free from the burdens of detai MI administration, can take large super. tli visory view of all questions or organ. HI ization and supply. and give to thu HI government the highest value Of thei talents and experiences.
 l finder General Wheeler witt MI the advice of his military assistant VII and of industrial experts, the machin HI cry of the ordnance department is be MI ing thoroughly organized in prepara lM ton for the new phase of its worl lIl upon which it is now entering. It HI several operations will be conducted HI under the direction either of officer. HI alerady in the service who are in HI position to give their entire energie. tll to their administration or by men spe HI clally chosen from civil life because O III their experience and capacity. III The quartermaster generarl HI department is in process of simila HI reorganization and sub- -divisioning un III der General Goethals, who enjoys th HI unique experience of having worke, HI out at the Panama canal problems 0 transportation and supply of a mag nitude never until now approached | the history of our government Her III also the efficiency of the departmen is being strengthened by the callin HI from civil life of men, of the highes III capacity to administer certain of it HI great subdivisions
 III "A new view of the work of tn ll council of national defense and of tn XII war industries board is now possible HI Council of Defense
 III The council of national defense i of course, an advisory body Withot III execute power. Its members ha, II severally the powers of their respec HI tive departments. The purpose of tt III council, however, was a reconciliatio HI of conflicts and a survey of the na HI tional needs and resources. This pul III pose, it has served anc IS serving IT III general munitions board and it's sut HI cessor, the war inquiries board, wi, HI their committees were organized | II the council for the following pun IllI poses:
 III T. Assign priorities as among u III several depa rtments of the goverI
 HI ment and the allied governments
 HI their demands upon enc industries
 the country.
 III "2. Advise as to supplies of ma
 HI terials and labor.
 NY 8. Advise on questions of price.
 III A. Secure industrial and labor e
 operation.
 III "5. Avoid advancement of price
 confusion of industry. exhausting
 III labor and generally to prevent 8
 III avoidable evils which might resu
 from the speed and magnitude of Il
 new operations.
 HI ITO these objects it was assiduous