Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-01-10
u. S. PREPARED
TO MEET THE HUNS
[Continued from First Page.l

tenth the 1918 appropriations for the
War Department alone.
Immense Sum For Ordnance
"Of the total War Department ap-
propriations for 1918 $4,000, 100000
was for the ordnance department of
which contracts amounting to ST.
677,000,000 already have been plac-
ed.
"On the first day of April, 1917.
the ordnance department consisted
of ninety seven commissioned off,
GERS while now it consists of 1904
officers, and, in addition, has 26, ,120
enlisted personnel.
"In addition to the selection and
training of this new force, the max
ing of these great contracts and the
follow-up necessary in the manu-
featuring. processes, a continuous
study of new weapons and instru-
mentalities has been kept up.
Many of the classes of ordnance
material requiring to be designed,
specifications drawn, and contracts
let, were wholly unfamiliar to our
normal military practices. The
trench warfare material alone IN
vclves commitments of S2,Ooet-
900.
For the quartermaster generals
department in 1918 S,OOO,OOO
was appropriated, or sum more
than four times as great as the 1915
appropriations for all governmental
purposes.
"On the first day of April there
were SAT officers in the Quartermas-
ter Corps. On the first day of jan
uary, 1918, there was total of g.
431 officers.
ION the first day of January, 1918,
nearly two billion dollars of the ap-
preparation had been obligated by
contracts, or disbursements.
Plans For Aviation Section
,"The aviation section of the Signal
Corps on the first day of April, 1917,
consisted of 60 officers and 1,120
men On the first day of January,
1918, it consisted of $500 officers
and S2,120 men.
This division of the War Depart
ment was charged by Congress with
the expenditure of an appropriation
aggregatin for 1918, $744,000,000,
or five times the 1915 appropriation
for the entire War Department.
"The engineer department, for
which in 1917 $53,000,000 was ap-
propriated. was charged by the 1918
appropriation with expenditures of
$500, 100000, or about seven hun
dred per cent. increase.
There have been organized, train
ed and equipped technical troops of
foresters, stevedores and railroad
construction and operation men, ag-
gregating about 10000, many of
WI hoNra ti,,er in,
for some months"
Chief Accomplishments
In summing up the War Depart
ment's work the Secretary gave the
following as its chief accomplish
ments:
.."1-A large Army is i'm the field
and in training; so large that fur
ther increments to it can be ade-
quatcly equipped and trained as rap
idly as those that arc in training can
be transported.
''2-Thc Army has been enlisted
and selected without serious dislo-
cation to the industries of the coun-
try.
'3-The training of the Army is
proceeding rapidly and its spirit is
high. The subsistence of the Army
has been above criticism; its initial
clothing supply, temporarily inade-
quatc, is now substantially complete
and reserves will rapidly accumu-
late. Arms of the most modern and
effective Notwithstanding artillery,
machine guns, automatic rifles and
small armS-haVc been provided by
manufacture or purchase for every
soldier i'll France and are available
for every soldier who can be gotten
TO France in the year 1918.
IA substantial Army is already
in France. where both men and Of
hccrs have been additionally and
specially trained and are ready for
active service.
"5-Indcpcndent lines of COM
munication and supply and vast
storage and other facilities are i'm
process of construction in France,
"6-Great programs for the man
ufacture of additional euuipment
and for the production of new in
struments OF war have been formu-
lated"
81 make this statement" con-
tinued the Secretary, fully aware
that there nave been produced be-
fore the members of this commit
tee some expressions of doubt, diff
ference OF opinion and disapproval.
In the foregoing statement there
are TWO exceedingly significant fig
ures; namely, that on the first dav
OF April the Ordnance Department
consisted of 81 officers and the Quar-
IermaSter Generals Department of
Sff ofhcers, while they now resnec-
lively comprise 1904 and 6.431 Of
ilcers' ihere was no ready trained
pody OF men in the country who
could have been selected suddeniv
to assume the highly technicaI ana
specialized work of these two al
VISIONS. Men of somewhat similar
training had to be chosen. AS the
work proceeded. subdivision and re-
SUBDIVISION became possible"
REORGANIZATION Announced
Oh december Is l was, therefore.
IN n position to announce n general
reorganization accomplishing the fol-
lowing results: -'
"1-Created a war counoiI
which General Crozier conanoi up0n
Sharpe, General Weaver Generai
Crowder and the chief of starr ba,'a
been designated to sit with the Secre-
tary of War and the Assistant score
tary of War, and to which counciI
men of capacity. either from tba
Army or from civil life. will be added
from time to time. The purpose Of
the councll is that its members. be-.
ing iree from the burdens of detail
administration, can take a large su-
pervisory view of all questions of or
ganization and supply, and give 70
the Government the highest value Of
their talents and experience.
"2-Under General Wheeler with
the advice of his military assistants
and of industrial experts. the ma
chlnery OF the Ordnance Department
Is being thoroughly reorganized in
preparation Tor the new phase of its
work upon which it is now entering.
It's several ODerationc mill - 80