Evening star., 1918-12-29
Army and Navy News

of supplies in bulk must be close to
the point of use and at the furthest
point from the source of production.
and hence storage for the Army
ought to be consolidated in one sys-
tenn responsible for Its distribution.
Transportation Of supplies and en-
barkation of men are clearly the
function of one and the same division
charged with the handling of the nee
essary shipping for both services.
Bookkeeping, accounting ana pay
ments so obviously follow the source
of supply that there is logically no
other place for it. and the purchase OF
real estate and the construction or
buildings thereon for military use
naturally form separate division.
p. S. and Il. should procure the re-
quirements in terms of finished arti-
equipment and needs as determined
by the division of operations. Hence
ideal organization should comprise
unified division responsibly for sup
ply, with subdivisions responsible Tor
purchase, storage, transportation,
finance and general facilities.
Under the system Cor lack of sys-
temp In April. 1917, and the state of
confusion that followed 1T up to the
early part of 1918, there was no GEN.
tral supply division in the War De-
partment. but all the purchasing was
done by separate bureaus, each with
its own appropriation, not closely
connected-engineering Signal Corps,
ordnance. medicine and the Quarter
master Corps. here was no recog-
milton of commodities as the basis for
purchase or storage: there were then
nine separate responsibilities for the
supply of the Army and nine systems.
not uniform in method of require
ments, purchase, distribution or fiscal
and property accountings. The bu-
LNrl ,nth
DDS of purchase. five conduits of sup
ply, and they were segregated from
one another, although furnishing ar
ticles of related use This multiple
system of purchase resulted in con-
fusion and an overlapping Of interest.
five purchasing agencies was a bidder
in the commodity market against the
other four.
Such was the condition that Gen.
Goethals found. and he has secured
results that only man of his forcible
type could hope for 1t is generally
understood that he had the responsi-
bility of reorganizing the entire sup
ply system, but that he always was
sure Of support from Gen. March in
his efforts to reach practical sys-
tenn. They We're practical men and
Army officers; both realized the need
of caution and of making haste
slowly" They both knew that in
lHc ptlel llIile dNdllaDle WIFI d WiF
on. they could not change from the
existing to the Ideal in organization.
nor have they tried any such foolish
experiment. The results obtained
have come by process akin to evo-
luton. They effected the death one
by one of antiquated practices and
started in their stead more scientific
methods always progressing to the
principle of central control. and with
control always went responsibility
and the and Nf. a
buck"
Without such a reorganization the
port terminals would never have been
cleared, the breaking railroads have
created. armies moved to camp and
cantonment. and from camps to
terminals and transported to France,
and no supplies for them after their
arrival there, three thousand miles
from their base.
BY degrees, p. T. and S. has taken
over purchase of all Army supplies
except those for ordnance and the
technical and scientific material for
the bureaus The director is an as
sistant chief of staff. and passes for
the chief upon all matters of supply
that are merely formal, and thus cuts
out miles Of red tape every day The
director holds every chief of sub.
his division, and there Is no escape
by shifting. The division of storage
is responsible for the safekeepng of
all the supplies of the Army, and the
division of embarkation supervises
all transportation. While Gen Goeth-
ais is the director and the subdi-
visional chiefs report to him. he di-
rects operations through his execu-
tive officer. Col J. S. Fair.
The organization is not complete:
changes will be made by the forth
coming bill on military Organization.
but the transitions will not be violent,
and it is safe to say that they will
not be in violation of the principles
laid down by Upton. "a