The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-04-08

Esd States into the war finds the great
resources of the country just coming
into the struggle but rapidly being
prepared. the achievements of the
first year are chiefly divided between
the army, which has been supplying
and training fighting forces; the Navy
which has been hunting the submar-
inc and conveying troops and sup
plies to Europe, the Shipping Board
which has been building a merchant
marine and the Treasury which has
been advancing credits to the Allies.
In all other departments of the gov
eminent there has been tremendous
effort to bring all the force of the
country's resources and power to the
aid of the actual fighting machine.
For military reasons it is not per-
missible to state the exact number
of American troops in France with
General Pershing's expedition, but
Secretary Baker, in recent testimony
before the Senate Military Commit
tee predicted half a million men
would be there early this year and
that another million would be ready
to go during the year.
American troops have taken up
several positions on the fighting line
in France, have occupied a sector of
their own northwest of Toul, and
have had numerous encounters with
the Germans. Official statements
from British and German army head
quarters have shown that certain
American fighting forces were thrown
Ipfa hn hatt
great German offensive this spring,
the British war office first reporting
them as fighting shoulder to shoulder
with the British and French troops
in the vicinity of Roye.
By referring to the combined forces
of the regular army and national
guard year ago, and comparing this
strength of the regular army now,
the National Guard mustered into
Federal service, and the men of tia
first draft in cantonments it is APP
parent that the total number of
ready fighting men has been increas-
ed from meagre two hundred thous-
and to something like a million ana
a half, with about ten million men
registered under the draft still avail
able for calls to the colors.
\ Military experts have estimated
that should the war be prolonged and
1t become necessary for the United
States to assume the burden of car
rying on the conflict an army of five
million men would not be improb-
able. The immense and sudden ex-
pansion of the army has not been
without criticism but, it is declared
this was expected in the conversion
into a fighting force of a nation ira
ditionally welded to the pursuits of
peace.
The expansion of the naval forces
has been characterized in Congress
by many as praiseworthy. The exact
details, here too, are shrouded in Sc
crecy as military measure, but it
is we'll known that an emergency war
building program has been pushed
with such rapidity that the United
States is well on the way to a place
second only to Great Britain as a
naval force, and that in destroyers
alone-most proved and deadly weap-
on of the submarine-the navy by
next year will have the greatest fleet
on the seven seas. Since the United
States went to war, the navy has
placed contracts for practically a
thousand vessels, and beside that took
charge of repairing the seized Ger
man and Austrian ships damaged by
their crews at the orders of the Ger
man government.
The case of the great liner Water
land, now the United States Ship Le-
vito to 70 r mil aP
cheney and speed with which the ma.
val engineers conducted that work
When the Germans finished theiI
work of destruction the Vaterland'e
commander remarked he would take
his hat off to the Americans WHIT
could put the ship in shape in time
to be of any service.
Within six months from the time
his words were spoken the Vaterlant
was in running order and since, the
navy has announced, has carried
numbers Of American troops 'anC
great quantities of supplies to tn,
fighting lines in France.
By taking the ships and men O
the Coast Guard into it's fleets b!
the merging of Naval Volunteers anc
Naval Militia, and with the growth
Of the Marine Corps, the navy ha
expanded it's forces practically fiv,
times since the country went to war
In its immense task of convoyin,
troops there have been some losses
notably the Tuscania and the Antilles
but the losses of life have been for
tunately small in comparison wit
the numbers of troops transported. A
the same time the American destroy
ers, working with the British in tn
submarine zone, have made them
selves terror to the undersea boat:
How many of these craft they hav
accounted for remains a military sc
cret.
The Treasury, concerned with fl
nancing the war, has raised fror
Liberty Bonds and War Saving
Stamp sales more than SIS, 200, 0OO, OO(
and on this, the first anniversary {
the declaration of war on German
is launching the Third Liberty Loa1
Treasury estimates put the expense {
the first year of the war at abor
$4,000, 100000 exclusive of the ad
vances to the Allies.
These advances to all the Allie
have totalled, up to the close
March $4,000, 100000. The Unite
States has been secured with IN
bonds or obligations of the countsit
to which the money was advance
More than SIPS, 100000 of the SUI
went to Russia before the debac
put the country out of the war. VIII;
return, the United States will get,
ary, is considered doubtful