The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1918-01-11

tcil!gence with which my assistants.
military and civilian. have applied them
selves to this undertaking. and the re-
suits demonstrate tho success OF their
efforts"
The secretary gavo the committee an
outline Of the work Of the department
and its various bureaus.
ION the first day Of April. 1917. tho
regular army" he said comprised
5.79l officers and 121.7s7 enlisted men:
the National Guard in federal service APP
proxImately 3,733 officers and 1913
enlisted men, and the reserve 1000 en-
listed men, There were also at that
time approximately ASIA officers in tho
reserve. but as these were on active
duty they cannot properly be considered
in estimating the strength OF the army
of the United States at that time On
the 31st day OF December 1917. the
regular army consisted OF 1880 officers
and $4,000 enlisted men; the National
Guard of 16,O3l officers and 100000
enlisted men: tho national army Of $780,
600 men. and the reserve OF 4.5T5 off,
GERS and 72.75o enlisted men.
I'm other words. in nino months tho
increase has been from $40 officers
to 11OS56 officers and from o02,610 to
l42S.650 men.
During the war with Spain, tho army
OF the United States. at Its maximum
strength. aggregated $4,000 men and
officers. The army now In the field and
In training Is. therefore. roughly SIX
times as great as the maximum number
under arms in the Spanish-AmeriCan
war.
The total number already In tho
military service Is one and half times
as large as any force modified by this
nation.
"a substantial part Of our military
forces was selected by the operation
OF draft law. the execution of which
has demonstrated both the economical
and the efficient way OF selecting SOL
diers. Tho law itself was drawn. its
execution carried to n successful con-
clusion and the theory Of the law. novel
TO our people. explained and made pop
MAR because OF its demonstrated fair
ness both in plan and execution.
For tho training Of officers. two
series OF training camps were held,
from which about $4,000 officers were
commissioned front civil lilo. This
number Is nearly eight times as great
"a tho number Of officers in the rcgu-
lar army on the first day Of April.
For the training OF these soldiers.
16 cantpnments have been built. cost !
ing s134. 900. 900. with an average profit
I, the contractors Of 2 SO per cent.
The death rate in our forces In TIC
T;ni:cd States from mid-Septembcr to
tho end Of December average I.5 per
thousand and Is slightly less thrn: ,
would have been tho death rate Of the .
same men at home. In 1898 the death |
rate per thousand was 20.l4 or nearly !
three times as great. Our death rate in /
the army. during the year 1916. just be- /
fore the war. was five per thousand :
Leaving out the deaths due TO measles !
and its complications. our rate among :
all troops in the United states since /.
scntcmhrr l has been about two per /,
thousand.
For the fiscal year 1915, congress ar- |
nronriatcd for tho war department
S158,0o0 300; for tho fiscal year 1916,
s2o3, 0nn. 900: Off the fiscal year 1917. !
st03, 900, 900: for the fiscal year 1918. !
sT.52T33ST15. In other words. taking :
1915 as q nominal year. the arprnprih-
lions for 1918 nrc nearly nifty times AZ ;
great.
Tho regular appropriations mad" ny !
congress for all governmental purposes Z
for the fiscal year 1915 we're $40 ,0hn.0nh ,
or nearly ono tenth the l?lH hrrr"rrIa-
lions for the war department alone.
"Of the total war department aIpr"- I
priations for 1915. $3.90n. n0n.0 was for !
the ordnance d'IhFt'ntut' W Mn'.h S'i'
tracts amounting Ia $l.'iiOohonu al !
ready have h"en placed. |
con the first day of April. 1911. TIC @.
ordnance department, consisted of " !,
commissioned officers. Will" now 1t con- i
sists Of 3.pnf officers and. In addition /
has 26.120 enlisted personnel.
Tn addition tn tn" selection and /
training Of This ncw force, the making
Of the great cont riLcrS and the fullow-up
necessary in the manufacturing pro-