Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-08-19

Class between eighteen and fortr-hvo.
We must not delude ourselves with the
idea that those In the eighteen and nine
teen calls are going to be deferred any
length of time They will have to be
called early next spring in order to ge;
their training In time TO get TO France
The eighty-division plan, General
March said, depended upon shipping ia
cilities, but he added
Il might as well say right here.
frankly. that the program of Mr. Schwab
| will take care of the army program and
| gain on it
Figuring minimum training of four
months in this country and two months
| abroad. to make the American force
effective In France by the middle of next
year, General March said from four to
| six months before June 80 is the mini
mum dcferment period for men to be in
class one
With General Crowder the committee
discussed the estimates of men he ex-
poets to get from the enlarged regis
| tration Of the bill.
Some committee members expressed
surprise that only about 100000 fighting
men are expected from reRistrants be-
tween thirty-two and forty-six. The
| provost marshal explained that the ma
| tion's industrial requirements were con-
sidered in his estimates. He said:
our main dependence is upon the
men of lower age limits"
First CalI for Men 10 to 80
Secretary Baker and General March
| explained that calls are planned first
| from the men in the class of nineteen
thirty-siX years, next from those thirty
six to forty-five and last, of eighteen
year-old youths The greater task of
classifying meh over thirty-six, it was
explained. led to the policy OF calling
them later than, those, between nineteen
and tiiirty-six
The bill. General March said, will not
interfere with men between eighteen and
forty-iive going into training camps to
seek commissions.
DO you think this number of men.
| together with what we have. will be
enough to win this WARP asked Repre-
sentative Kahn.
MY answer is this" General March
replied. IF you put eighty divisions
of trained Americans in France under an
American command, they can go through
the German line wherever they want to.
That is my firm belief"
Representative Kahn said it might be
necessary to go beyond the Rhine, and
asked If any accurate estimate could be
given of the number of men that finally
| will be necessary to win the war.
Replying. General March said that
when the Germans began their spring
offensive they were superior in rifle
power.
War to Be Won Western Front
IF you put eighty divisions Of Amer
leans In France. of $4,000 men to a
division" said General March, you will
| ,yi> ri;
power-more marked than was the Ger
mans and we should be able to bring
the war to a successful conclusion in
1919"
:. Il think the war will be won or lost
on the western front" General March
replied, in conclusion, when asked If he
? had considered only conditions on the
western front in estimating that the
war might be won next year
After the bill is enacted. Genera
Crowder said. he would ask to have the
President order the new regulation ir
ten days, to provide for drawing Of
: numbers as soon thereafter as possible.
within thirty days after question
naires are distributed" he said. Il prob
ably would have enough men for futur
calls"
The committee adjourned until tomor
row arranging to hear representatives o
, organized labor against the work o
fight" amendment of the Senate bill.
Senate prohibition leaders announced
: today that the pending wartime prohibi
ton legislation, which has the right o
q way for final vote in the Senate mex
Monday, will not be permitted to inter
- fere with the passage of the man powe
y hill Senator Sheppard, of Texas sal
IL il is found to be impossible to pas
the draft measure by Saturday ther
would be no opposition to temporaril
n lav wing aside the prohibition question,