Evening journal., 1918-02-26
WHERE WE ARE AT!
Jusf What Unc e Sam Has Done in This War
M HARRY h. HUNT.

rifles. machine guns. heavy ordnance
ammunition. aircraft9 What quaint
lies OF each have we under order and /
what quantities dellveredg
What Is our program In the war;
Just how does our war organization I
10 into tho allied fighting mnchlnef
How did tho Russian collapse and the I
Italian retreat affect our war plansf
How much OF an organization have
we built up IN France 10 handle our
men and supplies?
THESE ARE ALL MATTERS ABOUT
WHICH THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
SHOULD KNOW ACTUAL FACTS, NOT
VAGUE GENEnALlTlES
Lack OF Information at home with re-
gard 20 most Of our war activities may
he much more dangerous than giving
this information 10 the enemy. United
and Intelligent cooperation will do
more 10 speed up the war and force II
through 60 a quickly victorious finish
than any other one thing, and the
more intimately the people understand
Just what Is being done and what is
10 be done, the more diligently they
viii pull together to finish the Job In
the shortest possible way. For this Is
the peoples war And no people VIII
hght efficiently aud enthusiastically In
the dark
This war, expert observers agree, is
as much an Industrial and engineering
work as q purely military undertaking.
To guage Just what we have done then,
let us measure our war work in terms
OF the biggest single engineering job
previously undertaken. one with which
the American people arc familiar-the
building Of the Panama canal.
The United states took possession Of
+ the Panama Canal Zone on May Z, 1904
Work Of sanitation and actual con-
siruction was begun from the start.
| Uncle sam was out to set a new rec
ord in engineering feats.
The canal was opened 70 commerce
Aug. IS, i9ii-iO years and three
months later rs total cost was s3ii,-
/ sT7.si3Oi. which included si0000OOO
paid the New French Canal Co for IT,
works and equipment. si00000O0 paid
the Republic OF Panama S200J3O00 for
sanitation, and sl.3S2OO for civil ad-
ministration Of the canal zone. Leaving
I'm 'he cost Of sanitation and admins
trailon as part Of the construction eX-
pense. the expenditures on the Panama
lob neiide s29iS71si30 Of
As measured n volume OF eXpendi-
iure. In variety OF resources called
upon and IN engineering and technical
skill required, Uncle sam has had an
infinitely bigger Job I'm preparing This
country for war with Germany than he
had in building the Panama canal. And
the problem has not been one Of years
hut months
THE ORDINANCE BUREAU ALONE
between April 4. 1917. and Feb g. 1918.
spent s2.3O5 $50 .5i3 S5-or approximate
w EIGHT TIMES THE TOTAL CON
] STRUCTION COST OF THE CANAL-in
providing rifles, machine guns, artil-
iery. artillery tractors. antl-aircraft
: guns and mounts, special artillery rail-
J way cars and scores OF highly tech
} nicai Instruments Of warfare. OF this
sum $685. .s22 65i 80 has been paid out to
d cover work already done: the remain
Y ing si.77f 274. .92252 represents Obliga-
81 tions on contracts still running.
The duartermasier generals bureau
, which Is charged with clothing and
7 feeding our growing army Of lighters
o. and which handled the construction OF
b cantonments which house q population
r greater than the States OF Delaware
Nevada. wyoming and Arizona com
bined. with Alaska thrown In for gooc
measure, has since April 4 last directed
b work involving the expenditure up u
p Feb. 4. OF s2.4S3. .&i6,li7 56-ALSO EIGHT
, TIMES GREATER THAN THE CON
STRUCTION COST OF THE PANAMA
: CANAL. OF this sum Si,925 200, ioS.o
/ has been paid out for work completed
! outstanding contracts covering th'
remaining S55s.237, ,25SG2.
Next consider aviation. Tho aviation
section Of fhe signal corps has ha'
even more, II possible. than othe
branches OF the army, 20 bufid from
! tho ground up. Overnight 70 was calle'
upon TO undertake the most ambition
airplane program ever projected.
: has literally been on the job "a hour
dav since has designed and produces
: the hest airplane engine known, turne'
b scores Of factories from normal pro
duction 10 specialized aircraft work
and has delivered and under COnirac
= AVIATION supplies and equipment ag
:, gregating Si7S 7q6. .019iS. with purchas
!, requests approved and pending involN
y ing an additional $3.50 29i.i5i.OS. Othe
signal corps development, includin
yvorl, Of the radio section and balloon
!, division. brings The total work under
taken in this branch up to Ss99,9Os,
= $50 2i-or MORE THAN THREE TIME
& THE MONEY COST OF THE CANAL.
q Army engineers. in providing railWa'
/ tracks, docks, wharves, cranes am
~ trucks for handling supplies both d
= this country and in France, and d
/. developing lines OF communicable
II for the American Expeditionary Fore
4 abroad have handled a Job involvin,
m 20 date expenditures Of s225 49,, ,1O62
n Of this sum Si20,S00O0O has been spen
n by the director general o. military rail
~s ways in providing terminals and line
Of communication abroad, and o
m equipment for them ~
A. The surgeon generals office, 70 Pre-
he vide for the sick and wounded, ha
K spent siOS, ,9O6, $50 on hospital equipmer
IS and medical supplies. small. compare
MS with expenditures in other department
nj Won may think. But remember that ~
he greatest amount spent in ANY ON
he YEAR in the building Of the Panan
Ell canal. including administration an
,e, sanitation expenses. was only si6,O0
~ COO
all IN terms Of money expenditure the
be these five war department bureaus ha
iii undertaken a work involving su expo
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M ~OT ID G ~