The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-12-05

annual report was issued) there was am pie evidence that the selective draft was a swift, effective and just means or securing the military strength necessary for the conduct of great war. The experience of the past year has strongly re enforced that conviction.
 FIGHTING EQUIPMENT
 Under the heading of Fighting Equlp- ment For the Army" Mir. Baker gives a summary of what was accomplished
 in providing ordnance for the army. W hen the armistice was signed 3O,Ssl com plete units had been contracted for. on November 1, 10,634 had been delivered, divided as follows: Trench. oO0o; light (field guns). sS5o: medium, 1o7o; heavy, 695: railway, 19 The contracts were d.- vjded as follows: Trench. n,700; light, 0.113: medium. 53S5; heavy. SAP; railway. 211.
 As to rifles, Mir Baker shows that D. 135. .O25 of the modified Enfields had been accepted prior to November 1. Brown ing machine gun production is given as follows: Light, 47,O1s; heavy, ss.54s.
 Mir Baker gives much space to air craft problem, including the production figures published from time to time in
 the past. He shows that s1Ss DeHaviland
 and 101 Handley-Page machines were
 produced in this country and 1900 planes had been shipped to France before the armistice was signed On the other side 2676 planes of service types had been provided for the American squad rons by the French government. On Sep tember 90, General Pershing had B air squadrons at the front. the first of them
 having reached the battle areas in July. HEALTH EXCELLENT The general health of the arpfy has been surprisingly>good. the report shows, the death rate for all forces, at home and abroad. up to August %. having been at the rate of 5.s per 1000 per year. or little more than the civilian rate for men of the same age grours. It com pares with the rate of 65 per 1000 per year during the civil war and 2S during the Spanish war. Pneumonia caused 90 per cent of the deaths.
 There were 316,000 cases of influenza among the troops in the United States during the late summer and fall, and of the 20,5oo deaths between September 14 and November s, 19,s0o are ascribed to the epidemic.
 Discussing the authorization service, MT Baker says that in 1s months total o1 2,075, ,Ss4 men and 30oo tons of cargo
 were shipped overseas, the great bulk of these movements having been handled
 after January of this year. When hos tilitieS ceased, the SerVlce was engaging y0O0,OO0 deadweight tons of American
 shipping and s600o0 more tons had been
 allocated it's use, with a half million
 tons additional per month being deliv- cred.
 PRAISES HOME ARMY In closing his report Mir Baker speaks
 this word for the men who fought the
 war at home:
 T desire again to express regret for its
 (the report's) insufficiencies. I am con-
 scious of how far 1t falls short in the matter of just recognition of the ac-
 complishments of my associates, of ex-
 hibiting in adequate measure the heroic achievements of our soldiers abroad, or of four soldiers and civilians at home
 who have worked together to make this
 demonstration of Americas purpose and efficiency successful.
 Perhaps a special word ought to be said in recognition of those who from civil life have come at the country's call to places of exacting toll and have beer denied the opportunity to participate abroad in the heroic adventure, but have nevertheless, worked on, sometimes ir uniform and sometimes without even that badge of distinction. Theirs has beer in an unusual degree the call to self sacrifice, but they have been none the less soldiers and have contributed In nc small way to whatever success has at tended our arms"