The Mena weekly star., 1918-01-31
WAR SECRETARY INTO THE DETAILS
Makes Comprehensive Statement on ill Army Activities in Reply to Senator Chamberlain's Charg-
 es-Deficiencies Corrected.

Washington, Jan. 2S.- Secretary of War Baker, replying to Senator Cham5erlain's charges on efficiency in the War Department, at public hearing before the Senate Military Committee this morning said there are more than one million men un- der arms in this country, referring to cases of alleged neglect of dead cited in Chamberlain's speech.
 Secretary Baker said that his statement today was not exactly supplementary to his recent one to the committee, but rather com prehensive statement on all army activities in the war, especially re- plying to the charge that the War Department had 'fallen down.
 The responsibility for calling out a large number of men before the equipment for them was ready Sec retary Baker assumed to himself, but added that the best military ad- visers, including Major General Wood, had pressed it.
 The charge of mistreatment of troops in the hospitals, Secretary said was acted on vigorously, and he poi2ted out that the War Depart ment only last week refused to per init the mere dismissal of two army doctors, who had mistreated sol- diers, but insisted that they should have prison sentences in addition.
 Senator Chamberlain's speech, the secretary believes, has given the country the impression that the de- 1 ficiencies complained of were char acteristic rather than occasional, " and for that reason he deplored it's effect, but he emphatically declared that he came before the committee not to defend individualism.
 In the case of body of an off, cer who died at an aviation training school being shipped home in a sheet, Secretary Baker said that in quiry had developed the fact that the camp was in charge of British aviation otlicier. who followed the British method of sending bodies home unclothed, the mems clothing being shipped in separate parcel.
 An American officer was not in charge of this training school
 Secretary Baker declared that where deficiencies were disclosed they had been promptly modified: that they were the exception rather than the rule, and that the magni- tude of Americas undertaking made errors of judgment and mistakes very likely.
 France and Great Britain, he said, Iare supplying artillery to the Ameri- can forces because they wished to do so. because they had an excess on hand and wished to save ships for more vital necessities.
 Thirty-two divisions of national guard and national army troops in camps in the United States, con- stituting more than one million men in all, are now considered ready for overseas service whenever it is de- cided to send them to Europe.
 Secretary Baker declared that ev- cry American soldier who can use a 1 flllc aifeauy nds ufei Suppllcu Wibl one. and that the rate of manufac- ture assures a steady supply as the i troops become ready to use them.
 The Lewis machine guns. he said, altho they had been ordered, are not being used for the land troops be- cause General Pershing desires them only for airplane work.
 He declared that France and Great Britain are prepared to furn- ish machine guns for the land forces until the American supply arrives.