The Washington times., 1918-01-10

profit 10 the contractors of EOS per
cent.
These cantonments contain water
anu sewage facilities. refuse disposal
plants. laundries. storehouses, bar
racks. exchanges. postoffices, and
practically all necessary conven-
fences. comforts. and safeguards for
soldiers. The health OF the men in
training in them is beyond COMPARE
/ son better than that OF any similar
number OF soldiers in our history.
THE Death rate in our forces in
the United States, from mid-Septem-
! Der to the end of December. averaged
! 10 per Thousand, and is slightly less
/ than would have been the death rate
I OF men OF the same age at home. In
1SeS, the death rate per thousand was
2O.14, or nearly three times as great
Z Our death rate in the army during
the year 1916, just before the war.
was per thousand. Leaving out the
/ deaths due to measles and its com
plications. our rate among all troops
in the United States, since September
]. has been about . per thousand
These figures are properly compar.
able. The per thousand for 1915
means for the whole year The 2
bNA AhOhodlu Nnlb year means
II the number OF deaths since Sep
TENDER l from all causes, exclusive
! OF measles and it's complications,
should continue the same for the fol-
lowing eight months, our rate for
the end of the year would be about
per thousand.
For the fiscal year 1915 Congress
appropriated for the War Depart
ment, S15S,OO0, 900; for the fiscal year
1916, S2O3. 900, 900: for the fiscal wear
1917. 100000. 900: for the fiscal year
1918. 1882, 33s,T15. In other words,
taking 1915 as a normal year, the
appropriations for 1918 are nearly
fifty times as great.
Congress Appropriations.
THE regular appropriations made
by Congress for all governmental
purposes for the fiscal year 1915 were
ST20,OOO.OOO, or nearly one-tenth the
1918 appropriations for the War De-
partment alone.
I'm 1914 the gross value OF the
products of all the industries Of the
United States was $4,000. 900. 600 The
appropriations for 1918 for the War
Department alone are substantially
one-third OF this sum.
THE total operating revenues OF all
the railroads OF the United states for
the year l9lT-freight. passenger
mail, express. and miscellaneous-was
but slightly more than half the War
Departments appropriation for the
ensuing fiscal year.
"Of the total War Department ap-
preparations for 1915. 5000. OOO, 900
was for the ordnance department. The
value Of the products OF all iron and
steel industries in the CT'ted States
in 1914 was 5000. 900 900. OF less than
one-third of the amount TO ne expend-
cd by the ordnance department
"Of this gigantic sum the ordnance
department has already placed con-
tracts amounting to 81 ,67T .5OO. 900.
On the first day Of April. 1917. the
ordnance department insisted Of |
ninety-seven commissioner officers. /
occupying $4,000 square feet of office 1
room in Washington. 1t now consists
OF 3OO4 officers, occupying more than /
fourteen acres Of office moor space.
and. in addition. has 26.116 enlisted !
personnel
Expansion of Force.
The expansion OF this force has
been carried on concurren.iy with the
enormous business and industrial Cd
erations Of the department The force
has been selected, trained, IN part dis.
patched overseas. Because Of made
quacy OF office accommodations 1t ha.
been moved from time e. time. one
bureau having been obliged to move
six times
In addition TO the selection and
OF this new force. the making
OF these great contracts. and the fol-
low-up necessary in the nnanufactur-
Ing processes, continuous study OF
new weapons and instrumentalities
has been kept up, constant contact
kept with trained men abroad study
Ing the operation OF ordnance mate
rial in battle, and accordingly modify
ng designs and plans here by reason
Df observation and experience
MANY Of the classes a. ordnance
requiring to be disgned,
;pecifcations drawn, and contracts
ct, were wholly unfamiliar to our
normal military prsctices The
french warfare material alone in ,
'olves commitments Of S2S1 900 600 ,
some Of the contracts cover instru-i
nents so modern that our industries
lad to be adapted to their manufac- I
ure.
MANY OF the ordnance departnent's
contracts involve Increase Of plant IA {
'ilities. or the construction OF new {
plants. intricate systems CT auditing