Cleveland County herald., 1918-04-11
candidates, consisting largely of en- listed men, have been In attendance.
 Corps of Engineers.


 listed men, have been In attendance.
 Corps Of Engineers.
 At the beginning of the war the en- gineer troops consisted of three regl- ments of pioneer engineers, with trains, one mounted company, one en- aggregate strength was approximate ly 4, 125 officers and enlisted men. At present the aggregate authorized strength Is o-Sf O,0o0, with an act ual strength of approximately 10000
 Of the special engineer units re- cruited for service on railways and in the maintenance of lines of communi- cation, many are already in France and others are awaiting recruitment to full strength in order to be ready for overseas service. The first en- gineer troops, HOO strong, to be sent abroad, arrived in France about three months after war was declared. Since that time the number has been greatly augmented. These troops have been constantly engaged in general en- gineering work including the con- struction of railways, docks, wharves, cantonments, and hospitals for the use of the American expeditionary forces. They have. in some instances, in the performance of their duties, engaged in active combat with the enemy.
 Ordnance Department.
 Since the outbreak of war the commissioned personnel of the ord nance department has expanded from or officers, operating with yearly ap- propriations of about $14,OO0O00 and with manufacture largely confined to government arsenals, to 5000 officers In this country and abroad, transacting an unprecedented war program for the supply of ordnance, the total direct appropriations and contract authoriza- tions for one year having been $4,- 756, ,503,1 1855.
 The ordnance storage properties embrace separate warehouse buildings and miles Of railroad siding, all com prehended within the depot premises, which are inclosed by electrically charged wire barriers and lighted and patrolled with unremitting vigilance One of these depots, now under con struction, will include 100 separate buildings and 50 miles of railroad spe- cially built to serve the depot's needs. The supply division of the ordnance department handles material amount ing to approximately 10000 carloads month
 While building the foundation for greater production, the ordnance de- pertinent has provided 100000 rifles; has brought the rate of rife production up to 45,000 per week, sufficient to equip three army divisions; secured deliveries on more than 17,000 ma chine guns; brought the rate of pro- duction of machine guns from 10000 to 225,00O per year; increased the rate of production of 31a inch to 9-inch cali Der guns from 1,500 to 15,000 per year; and has arranged for the manufacture of some 35,0O0 motortrucks and trac- tors for hauling heavy guns and am munition, which are being delivered almost as fast as they can be shipped.
 One billion rounds of ammunition has been purchased for the training of troops in the cantonments alone.
 An idea of the extent of the ord nance program may be gained from the following few items of purchase: Twenty-three million hand grenades, 725,o00 automatic pistols, 250,000 re- volvers, 23,O00000 projectiles for all calibers of heavy artillery, APT, 7,246,0OO pounds of explosives, 240, ,0OO machine guns. and 2,4S4,O00 rifles.
 The ordnance problem, however, is no less one of quality than of quantity production. The American soldier is being provided with weapons which give him an additional safeguard to life and further guaranty of victory.
 Achievements of the ordnance de- partment include the Browning ma chine rifle, model of 1918, and the Browning machine gun, heavy type, model of 1918, production of the for mer nowA being on quantity basis by machine process, while similar produc- tion of the heavier type is imminent
 The heavy Browning machine gun, Whtef cOoleu, III government test fired 10000 shots in AS minutes and 16 seconds without malfunction.
 Quartermaster Corps.
 The magnitude of the work of the quartermaster corps is indicated by the operation of the subsistence divi- sion, which Is charged with the re- sponsibility of seeing that food sup plies for the army are available at all stations from the Philippines to LOT raine. Purchases recently made in- cluded 40,0000O0 pounds dried beans, 116,000,000 cans baked beans of the 1917 crop, 65,184,475 cans of tomatoes. 91,0OO,OO0 cans of condensed milk, and 20,2S7, 900 pounds of prunes.
 The establishment of the subsistence division centralized the purchases of foodstuffs for the army previous to which such products were distributed through the depot quartermaster. Elf fective January 1, the central control system has resulted In greater eff ciency end big saving. In January, for instance S1OO O00 was sauod ,,ndor