South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-01-10
ARMS PROVIDED FOR
ALL MEN ''OVER THERE"
WAR SECRET ETARY SAYS
Comes Strongly to Defense of Ordnance and Quar-
termaster's Departments and Says Achieve
ments in Military Way Have Been Splendid.
International News Service

International News Service:
WASHINGTON, Jan. 10. -
A substantial American army
is in France and is ready for
active service, Sec'y of War
Baker told the senate commit
tee on military affairs this morn
ing.
Behind this army in France
are others training in this coun-
try, and more can be trained as
fast as the first ones are moved
overseas. he declared.
Arms of the most modern and
effective kind. artillery. machine
guns. automatic rifles, and small
arms. have been provided for every
soldier in France, and are available
for every soldiers who can be got
TO France in 1918" the secretary
continued. So modern is some of
the equipment, ne said that new
factories had TO be created. Great
programs for the production Of ad-
ditional material have been worked
out.
Aviation Section Has 5000.
He also revealed that we have
5000 officers and men in the avia-
ton section OF the signal corps. our
military forces total HOS officers
and 1.42S.65O men roughly six
times what it was i'm the Spanish
American war. Appropriation for
the war department are nearly so
times those for 1915. he said.
Sec'y Baker told the committee
he cited these vast activities to show
the American people the splendid
effectiveness with which they have
been able TO organize the man
power and material power" and the
Germans that we have actually
brought the full power Of men and
resources against their military ma
chine"
Great Progress Made.
BY the cooperation of all i'm
terests and all people in the country
the nation is now organized and set
70 its task with unanimity of spirit
and confidence in It's powers" said
the secretary. More has been done
than anybody dared 10 believe pos
sible That there have been here
and there errors Of judgment and
delays goes without saying: but I
should be wanting i'm frankness were
] 10 omit my own estimate Of the
real unselhshness and Intelligence
with which my associates. military
and civilian, have applied them
selves to this undertaking. and the
results demonstrate the success o.
their efforts"
TIE war secretary came strongly
10 the defense Of the quartermaster.
generals department and the ord
nance department. both ~ which
had been severely criticised in the
committee hearings for the "snail
like" pace they set i'm equippius
and munitioning the armies Of the
United States.
Departments Expanded
"Here are two exceedingly size
nifcant figures" Sec'y Baker said.
con the first day Of April the ord
nance department consisted Of s-I
officers and the qIartermaster gene
erals department Of 347 officers.
while they now respectively COM
prise 3.0O4 and 6431 officers. There
was no ready-trained body Of men
iu the country who could have been
selected suddenly 20 assume the
highly technical and specialized
work Of these two divisions. Men
of somewhat similar training had ~
5e chosen and the nucleus Of or
fcers already in the corps had not
only 20 carry forward the expand
ing operations of their department.
but he trainers and teachers Of their
new associates"
Nistakc~ Inevitable.
r. was natural that some mistakes
and DELAYS should arise in carrying
ont the gigantic task set for his de-
3artu ent. the secretary insisted
Everything considered. the war de-
uartment has done far better tnan
even the most optimistic could have
hoped He made q plea that iu
viewing through a misc~oscope the
small mistakes of the war machine.
the committee have ever in mind
the great achievements that have
been effected
Tn detailing the success with
which his efforts had met. he had