The Benson signal., 1918-06-15
1ne army ordnance ocparrnent ms

Ine army ordnance Gepurtmcnt nas
negotiated approximately 10000 CON
tracts since this country entered the
war, involving within $175,0000C0 ct
the total funds directly available for
the department for the present fiscal
years., ,3S3, ,2S6,045. Additional con
tracts totaling 81 ,503, ,703, TAI have been
entered into on the authority of con
gress pending appropriation Of an
amount aggregating $1,G7l, ,4GG,750.
The magnitude of the task OF the
ordnance department financially Is evil
denced by the disbursement recently i'll
4 single day of more than 100000
on ordinary contract vouchers. Dis
bursemcnts for the month of April.
l9lS, ran to 1856, 1884 .363. an interesting
amount as compared with the $5,059,-
284 disbursed by the ordnance depart
ment In April, 1917. These disburse,
ments were made at the ordnance Of
fee in Washington. Amounts. dis
bursed at government arsenals are not
included.
One check recently drawn by the ord.
nance disbursing officer for ordnance
material was for $1S,750,000. One re-
QUESTION made recently by this same
officer on the treasury was for $780,
100000. This is the largest single requi-
sition ever made by any United States
disbursing officer
Prior to two months ago, before the
ordnance department established it's II
district Offices which zoned the country
to expedite payments to contractors
and relieve the strain upon the main
office In Washington, the disbursing
officer at Washington signed from 500
to 5000 checks day.
Because of the instruction of gas Of
ilcers who have been at the various
camps for the last six months, the
troops which are going forward to
France are Well posted on methods Of
combating gos attacks, says Il state
naent authorized by the war depart
ment. A group Of British gas officers
has been In this country since last
summer. One of these men has been
at each of the training camps, advising
and assisting the division gas officer.
All the men going overseas are sup
Piled with gas helmets. Under the di-
vision gas officers and their assistants,
the men IRE drilled in the use of
masks, taught how to detect the pres
ence OF gas, and given actual expert
ence with different sorts of gases.
Minnie gas shells and cloud attacks,
used often at night in connection with
high explosives, help to make the train
ing realistic.
The United States has been able to
build on the experience Of the British
and French, to whom gas attacks were
unknown when they entered the war.
No American troops have been sent to
the front without practical experience
In defending themselves against gas.
The training of instructors in gas de-
fense includes course of about one
month. Most of the gas officers are
commissioned first lieutenants.
One of the Interesting developments
of the war; according to statement
authorized by the war department, Is
the rapid expansion of the various bu-
reaus of the war department. At the
outbreak Of the war there were less
than 1900 employees on duty. The
number now is approximately 25,000,
an increase Of 800 per cent. While this
represents tremendous expansion,
the increase in the army itself has been
more than 500 per cent.
Only four out of every 100 officers
In the service were in the army at the
time the war began.
The gas defense service is now manu-
featuring about 5000 horse gas masks
per day. These are being sent to
Franco, and it Is expected that within
short time every horse connected
with the American expeditionary
forces will be equipped with the new
masks.
The gas defense service has q COM
pletely equipped factory for the manu-
fncture of the masks. In less than
three weeks a building was selected
and the factory was producing masks.
The introduction of riveting machinery
has done away with the heavy hand
sewing OF the frame which supports
the masks on the faces of the horses.
The masks are so constructed that no
metal or chemically lmpregnated parts
can chafe the horse.
In Bavaria the monthly meat ration
has been cut 20 per cent-from 1000
to 800 grams-according to German
newspapers. The monthly meat ration
in Saxony has been reduced from 800
to 700 grams. Public officials are re-
ported in the Prussi0n press as discus
sing the possibility Of further reduc-
ton Of the bread ration in Prussia.
A Munich paper reports that from
the beginning Of the war to March ].
1918, BaYarian hog stocks have de-