Middletown transcript. [volume] (Middletown, Del.) 1868-current, 1918-10-05
There would seem to be little, II


any, connection between the problem
Of supplying General Pershing with
artillery ammunition and that of fur
niShing Tuscumbia, Ala, say. with
better milk. Actually. however. the
relation of one to the other is so
real and intimate that the chief OF
ordnance of the United States war de-
p;rtment has approved plans whereby
not only Tuscumbia, but also dozens
of other cities and towns where ord
nance material is manufactured, will
get better milk and better living con-
di,icns generally. 1t has been found
that where living conditions are bad
and housing provisions inadequate.
ordnance workers become discontinued
and production lags.
Tuscumbia. Sheffield and Florence
Ala, contain the employees of the
three great government nitrate plants
located in the vicinity Of Musse&
Shoals. Like most snail towns sud
denly required by the present war to
accommodate huge ordnance enter.
prises planted in their midst, these
three communities were wholly unable
to afford proper housing, and condi-
lions rapidly got beyond control. The
better and more desirable of the work
ers, with their families. grew restless
A transformation is now in progress
under direction of the community Or
ganizatiOn branch. Vice centers have
been eradicated, the sale of liquor
has been placed under rigid control.
A public market has been established
for the three towns. Here farmers
from the surrounding districts take
their products and dispose of them to
of the ordnance
plants. Wagons Of the ordnance de-
partment then cart the produce to the
plants and sell it at cost to the work.
ers.
Central bureaus for these three
towns have undertaken the housing
problem. Parks and Fairgrounds are
being planned for the workers and
their families. The communities them
selves have been awakened to the
significant part which such improve
ments play in the business Of making
munitions and Of winning the war.
Statistics gathered under direction
of Brig. Gen. II. f. Wood, acting quar-
termaster general of the army. show
that the cost of cquipping and main
taining Il soldier overseas is $423.47 a
year. To equip and maintain soldier
in the United States costs $327.78
year.
Subsistence, figured at 60 cents a
day, amounts to S251. SIS per man over
seas; figured at 80 cents day in the
United States, it amounts to $1S9.SO
per man. The cost Of the initial equip
ment for the soldier the first year In
the United States is $3.50. The cost
of the initial equipment of the soldier
overseas for the first year is 1924.
This cost of 1924 Is for articles
which are issued for overseas use only
and which are in addition to the regu-
lar equipment. Thus it appears that
if the soldier going overseas did not
take with him. great deal of his
equipment already supplied him in the
United States. the contrast between
the cost Of equipping and maintaining
a soldier in this country and abroad
would be much more marked.
The largest private telephone branch
in the world is the one that serves the
increasing needs Of the war depart.
ment in Washington. 1t fills special
ly constructed three-story building con-
tanning A "pOsitiOns"-an Office bigger
than the central" in many consider
able city. Thirty additional posi-.
TONS are in course of installation.
On July / this branch served 3,17a
extensions; on August 1, 1926. 1t re-
quires 1875 trunk lines for incoming
calls; 76 trunk lines for outgoing
calls, local and suburban toll; II pri-
vate toll lines to New York, Philadel-
phia, Baltimore, Detroit (via Cleve.
land), HObOken and Newport News,
and 1O5 tie lines to other government
stations in Washington.
An average of four records taken
during July shows 32,93S outward and
1864 inward calls in "a hours. In the
peak" hours the calls often run al
high as 1924 an hour. The operating
force consists of 80 persons.
The United States war industries
board has announced that agricultural
periodicals must reduce their con
sumption of print paper Is per cent
under regulations for the conservation
Of print paper adopted by that hoard
The regulations were to become effeC
tive October 1, 1918.
A committee of publishers recon-
mended the use of lighter body paper!
discontinuance of subscriptions in ar
rears; free exchanges to be cut on
and free copies to advertisers and ad
yertising agencies to be restricted
of sales at nominal o.
exceedingly low price, of prize CON
tests for subscriptions and special OF
holiday numbers except such as have
been regularly issued in the past.
Establishment of new papers durina
the war is to be prohibited unless the
necessity for them can be shown. and
combinations of two or more agricul.
tural periodicals must be reported te.
the pulp and paper section of the wal
industries board for ruling as to pa
per tonnage that will be allowed.
The bureau of animal industry Of
the United States department of agri.
culture has just issued list of all
the dairy herds in the United States