The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1918-02-01
'TRADESMEN NEEDED
IN SIGNAL CORPS
WILL BE ACCEPTED, ALTHOUGH
REGISTERED, IF QUALIFIED
ALONG CERTAIN LINES.
BOOKS FOR OUR FIGHTERS
More Than Half a Million Already
Furnished Soldiers and Sailors by
American Library Association
What the Hat Cord Denotes.

(fTom committee on Public 1nformation.)
Washington.Men qualified along
certain lines, although registered un-
der the selective-service law, may be
indicted into the land division of the
Signal Corps, which is in need of men
for the following duties:
Chauffeurs, motorcycle drivers, and
gas engine repairmen for duty in field
and telegraph battallons; telegraph
ers, both wire and radio; telephone
nen, including switchboard operators,
telephone repairmen, and men skilled
N testing and repairing telephone
lines; telephone and telegraph line
men; photographers, still and moving;
homing-pigeon men; radio men who
are familiar with installing radio ap-
paratus; men qualified as cooks,
clerks, stenographers, blacksmiths,
meteorologists, cobblers. cable men,
etc.
Men indicted for this division, I'M
less otherwise requested by the chief
signal officer of the army, are sent to
Fort Leavenworth, Ban.
More than half a million books al
ready have been furnished soldiers and
sailors in training camps and in France
ny the American Library Association
War Service, and the flow is steadily
increasing, according to the director
Of this work.
nr Funds n
by the. association last autumn netted
more than $1,5O0,000 and real results
In the tangible shape of books and
comfortable libraries are being felt by
the soldiers and sailors. The Carne-
gle corporation gave $4,000 for the
erection of camp libraries. Nearly
all camps now have libraries and in
the others the buildings are in course
Of construction. The reading rooms
each accommodate 250 men.
For the men in France the associa-
ton has organized distributing sta
tons at all points oe embarkation,
where books are assorted for shipment
abroad. Soon every soldier who steps
on a transport will carry book with
him, which he and his companions will
read on the way across, after which it
will be forwarded to the men back Of
the trenches. No attempt will be made
to establish libraries In France, but
the association will have representa-
tives there to supervise the work of
distribution.
Just as the sleeve chevrons and
bars, stars and eagles on the shout
der proclaims ranking officers, the hat
cord denotes the branch Of service
each private has entered.
Light blue signifies infantry; scar
let, artillery; yellow, cavalry; buff,
quartermasters corps; scarlet and
white, engineers corps; orange and
white, signal corps; scarlet and black,
ordnance; black and white, field clerk;
maroon, medical corps; black and gold,
officers; silver and black, adjutant
generals clerk green, instructor home
guards; green and white, home guards.
These cords are worn only on serv-
Ice hats.
Cadet aviators wear rs hat bands
inch and half white ribbons and on
coat collars insignia representing the
aviation branch of the Signal corps,
propeller blades.
There We're 1,42S,650 enlisted men
and HOSES officers in the United
States army at the opening of 1913
more than one and half times as
large as any force ever before mo-
bilized by this nation. according to
a statement by Secretary of War
Baker.
During the war with Spain the army
of the United States at its maximum
strength aggregated 272,000 men and
officers. The army in the field and in
training now is practically six times
as great as the maximum number I'M
der arms in the Spanish-American war.
About $4,000 officers were commits
stoned from civil life in the two series
of training camps, nearly eight times
as many as the number of officers in
the regular army April l, 1917.
Postmasters are directed not to &C
cept for shipment to members of ex-
peditionary forces packages contain
ing matches, cigar lighters, or soiidified
Alcohol, including the preparation call
ed "Sterno" or canned heat.
1t is not deemed safe to admit these
articles to mails for foreign countries
or for United States naval vessels, in
Guiding marines on shore in other coun-
tries.
Contractors working on orders for
the navy are required to provide
watchmen I'd devices to protect their
plants and Cperty and the work in
progress az espionage, acts of
war and of emy aliens. Upon re-
quest they m L report the citizenship,
employees.
A second training camp will be held