New Britain herald., 1918-12-05
FUTURE OF ARMY IS
 >". NOT YET DECIDED
Peace Terms Will Tell Story,
 Baker Says in His Report

Washington, Dec. 1.-The question of permanent organizat ton of the army has been deferred for consider ation after the close of the peace conference. Secretary Baker, in his annual report made public tonight, says this course is determined upon since "the military Leeds of the Unit ed States cannot be prudently as- sesscd until that conference shall have determined the future intcrna- tional relations of the world"
 For temporary purposes however, M!. Baker announces that ne will lay before Congress plan of reorganiza- tion for the regular army which shall continue as the nucleus of any future military cStuhlishm ent.'
 The Secretary also indicates his in tention to press for perpctuation by law of the strong General Staff or ganization built up during the war
 Makes No Definite Suggestion.
 T have refrained in this report" MT. Baker says, from making spe- cific recommendation for future leg islation for two reasons. Tn the first place, the signing of the armistice has not formally closed. tEe war. We have at present a great military establish ment which can not be imm ediately dissolved, and the activities of the Departmen for some time at least must be concerned with what we have. In the second place, the peace conference is about to assemble and the military needs of the United States can not be prudently assessed until that conference shall have deter mined the future international rela- tions of the world.
 "In ary case it is clear that the education of officers and a constant study of the science of warfare will be necessary, and it is my hope that the great Military Academy at West Point can be supplem ented by an en- largem ent and broadening of the spe cial schools which are at present or ganized but should be made to take on more the character of pOst-grad uate courses and to develop and train research specialists in the several arms"
 In sketching the building up of the war army, MT. Baker selects a few striking figures as illustrations of what each step meant and what mas been aCCOll pllSneu. oI1 tIlS day the armistice was signed, he de- clares more than 25 per cent. of the entire male population of the country between the ages of IS and 31 was in the military service, the army having reached a total of 3,664.000 men, more than 2,000,0OO of whom were in Europe, as compared with a strength of 1S9,674 in March 1917 r-a6
 Americans Set World Record.
 To illustrate the speed of this ex- pansion, the report cites the fact that the British army in France had reached it's high mark in the summer of 1917, three years after the begin ming of the war, and that figure was slightly more than 2,O0O,000 men," It took 19 months for the United States to reach the same strength there, but MT. Baker points out that during those years of battle, British manpower had been heavily called upon to replace casualties, while for many months the flow of American troops all went to augment the force being assembled. To some extent this was offset, he adds, by the far greater transportation difficulties of the American project.
 Health of Army Good.
 The general health of the army has been surprisingly good, the report shows, the death rate for all forces at home and abroad, up to August 30 having been at the rate of 5.9 per 1000 per year, or little more than the civilian rate for men of the same age groups It compares with a rate of 65 per i, 1000 per year during the Civil War and 26 during the Spanish War. Pneumonia caused 56 per cent. of the deaths.
 There were 316 ,0OO cases of influ- enza among the troops in the United States during the late summer and fall and of the 2O, ,5OO deaths between Sep- tember 14 and November 8, 19,SOO are ascribed to the epidemic.
 Regarding the Stay-at-
 In closing his report, Mr. Baker speaks this word for the men who fought the war at home:
 "Perhaps a special word ought to be said in recognition of those who from civil life have come at the country's call to places of eXacting toll and have been denied the oppor- tunity to participate abroad in the heroic adventure, but have, neverthe- less, worked on, sometimes in uni form and sometimes without even that badge of distinction. Theirs has been in an unusual degree the call to self sacrifice, but they have been none the less soldiers and have con- tributed in no small way to whatever success has attended our arms'