The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-11-17

 General March, chief of staff, made this announcement today, outlining the war departments plans in answer to the questions the country has been asking since the day the arrnistice was signed and it became apparent that the war was over. He said orders already issued would send 100000 men back to civil life within two weeks, and that when the programme was in full swing about 3O,- 900 would quit the army daily. Fighting divisions of General Pershing's army in France will be demobilized as fast as possible in their home communi- ties. The chief of staff would make no predictions as to when the first divis- ions would start home. It appears prob able, however, that the flow of returning troops can be in full tide before Febru- ary.
 RAINBOW MAY BE FIRST
 Some officers regard it possible that certain divisions may be recalled in ad- vance of the general return movement. General March indicated that the For ty-second (Rainbow) division. because. it is composed of men from 26 states and in recognition of the fighting rec ord it has made in France, would be marked for special treatment. The Twenty-sixth (New England Nation al Guard), and the Forty-first (Sunset) divisions are in the same class, so 1t would not cause surprise therefore, if these three organizations should be designated by General Pershing as the first to return. With six weeks of 1918 left it is possible they may be home be- fore New Years Day.
 Supplementing General March's state ment, Secretary Baker saidssit would not be necessary to maintain all the exist ing cantonments for demobihzatlon pur- poses, and that study was now being made of those desirable for that purpose. The others, with all the divisional camps, he indicated, will be abandoned as soon as the men now occupying them have been mustered out.
 ORDER OF DENOMINATION
 The demobilization will be carried out in the following order:
 First, development battalions, Il in num- ber and comprising 9S,199 men; second, conscientious objectors not under arrest; third, spruce production division; fourth, central training schools for officers, with some notifications; fifth, United States guards, now numbering lSS,oo men; sixth railway units; seventh, depot
 
 ninth, combat divisions.
 ssWe have in the United States now something like 1,7O0.0o0 men, and to mus ter out force of that kind. on the other hand, will take sometime, said General March ssEach man has to be examined physically, his final accounts made so that the men may get compensation they are entitled to. Blank forms are being shipped to the various camps for use as these orders go into effect.
 100000 AFFECTED
 ..The orders that have already been issued affect some 200.000 men. I expect to muster them out in two weeks. When the machine is in full operation we ex- pect to release 5000 men a day
 'Tn handling this problem of demo- biIization one of the features which had to be considered was the subse- uuent retaining of men for the regu- lar army, or what will be the regular army, when Congress passes laws re- organizing that army. When the war broke ouI there were only limited number of such men in the service, and the great number of men who filled out these units were men who voluntarily enlisted for the period of the war. So we have offered these men who came in for the period of the war option of re- enlisting if they care to.
 TO GET BONUS
 we have offered an immediate hon. orable discharge with a furlough of one month upon re-enlistmont and we propose to ask Congress to give every single man who has been honorably discharged one months pay, whatever the grade is, as bonus. Every man who is discharged from the army is entitled to wear his uniform for a period of three months; that is very ry hir,u ho al inc to civil life of three or four million men makes it impossible to clothe in civil ian clothes so great a number
 .sAs men are discharged we take up the question of the officers. Officers who want to apply for commissions in the regular army will be consid- ered officers who want to put them- selves in a class where they can be used for future military operations will be offered commissions in the reserve corps The rest of them will be dis charged.
 INJURED COME IMMEDIATELY
 'T have cabled General Pershing to return to the United States on troop transports all the men who are cas- uals or convalescents. sick and wound- ed. who are able to be moved; and these men will come in steady flow across the Atlantic before the larger number come back as units
 "We propose when the divisions come back from France to have them mustered out in the vicinity of their homes. We intend to have these men parade in the nearest adjacent town. so that the home people can see their own soldiers.
 with reference to casualties in the American expeditionary forces, cabled General Pershing to report in plain English and not to code. so as 10 save time, the name of every man killed, wounded and missing up to
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