Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1918-12-08

said that the performance of the Browning machine gun and automatic rifle in active Operationsdnas been so satisfactory as to create an ihsistent demand for these weapons from ma- chine gun units and from division commanders.
 MT. Baker gives much space to air craft problem, including the product ion figures published from time to time in the past. He shows, that 3,I89 Dehaviland and 101 Handley-Page machines were produced in this coun- try and 1900 planes had been shipped to France before the armistice was signed. On the other side, 2,676 planes of service types had been provided for the American squadrons by the French government On Sept. 30 Gen. eral Pershing had 32 air squadrons at the front, the first of them to be equipped with American planes hay ing reached the battle areas in July.
 Air service casualties, the report says, have been higher than in the artillery and infantry and reports to October "A showed 128 battle fatali- ties and PA by accident overseas. A total of 262 men had lost their lives in this service while in training in the United States.
 The general health of the army has beenn surprisingly good, the report shows, the death rate for all forces, at home and abroad, up to August 30 having been at the rate of 59 per l. 900 per year, or little more than the civilian rate for men of the same age groups. It compares with a rate of 65 per 1000 per year during the Civil War and 26 during the Spanish War. Pneumonia caused 56 per cent of the deaths.
 There were 316,OOO cases of influ- enza among tha troops of the Uni ted States during the late summer months and fall, and of the 10000 deaths between Sept. 14 and Nov. 3 19,S00 are ascribed to the epidemic.
 Discussing the authorization serv- ice, MT. Baker says that in 19 months a total of 2,075,S34 men and 5,153,- l 900 tons of cargo were shipped over seas, the great bulk of these move ments having been handled after January 1 of this year When hosti- l lities ceased, the service was engag- ing 3,000,000 deadweight tons of American shipping and S00,000 more tons had been allocated its use, with a half million tons additional per month being delivered
 In closing his report, Mr. Baker speaks this word for the men who fought the war at home:
 q desire again to express regret for it's (the report's) insufficienc1es I am conscious of how far it falls short in the matter of just recogni- tion of the accomplishments of my associates, of exhibiting in adequate measures the heroic achievements of our soldiers abroad, or of our soldi- CTS and civilians at home, who have worked together to make this de- monstration of Americas purpose and efficiency successful
 Perhaps a special word ought to be said ill recognition of those who from civil life have come at the coun- try's call to places of eXacting toll and have been denied the opportuni- ty to participate abroad in the hero ic adventure, but have, nevertheless, worked on, sometimes in uniform and sometimes without even that badge of distinction. Theirs has been ill an unusual degree the call to self-sacri- flee, but they have been none the less soldiers and have contributed in no small way to whatever success has attended our arms"