The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1918-01-10
ARMY ABROAD
[contlnued From PAGE One. |

| nlllCATy service Is one ana a QalT
times as large as any force ever mob
ilized 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. The law itself was drawn, its
! execution carried to q successful con-
| clusion, and the theory Of the law,
! novel to our people. explained and
made popular, because of its demon
strated facility both in plain aud exc
cution.
For the training of officers, two
series OF training camps were held
from which about 45o0 officers were
commissioned from civil Nfe This
number is nearly eight times as great
as the number of officers in the regu-
lar army on the first day Of April.
Average Profit 2.a9.
For the training OF these soldiers,
sixteen cantonments have been built,
costing $1S4, ,00O, 900, with an average
profits to the contractors of 2.98 per
cent
THE death rate in our forces In
the United States, from mid-Septem-
Der to the end of December averaged
TO per thousand, and is slightly less
that would have been the death rate
or men OF the same age at home. In
1873. the death rate per thousand was
20.l4, or nearly three times a great.
Our death rate in the army during the
year 1916, just before the war, was
tive per thousand. Leaving out the
deaths due to measles and it's compli-
cations, our rate among all troops in
the United State, since September !,
has been about two per thousand.
For the fiscal year 1915, congress
appropriated for the war department
S1e3 100000; for the fiscal years, 1915
S2O3 ,0O0,0 600; for the fiscal years 1917,
$AO3 100000; for the fiscal year 1918,
S7.527 .33S,716. In other words, taking
1915 as normal year, the appropria-
uons for 1918 are nearly fifty times as
great.
The regular appropriations made
by congress for all government pur-
poses for the fiscal year 1915 were
720,o0O,000, or nearly one tenth the
1918 appropriations for the war de-
Eartnent alone.
OF the total war department appro-
priations for 1918, $4,000, 600, 900 was
Tor the ordnance department of which
contracts amounting to $1,677 100000
already have been placed.
On the first day of April, 1917 the
ordnance department consisted of 81
commissioned officers, while now it
consists of 3.004 officers, and, in addi-
ton, has rs, 120 enlisted personnel.
New Weapons Studied
+. In addition to the selection and
training OF this new force, the making
OF these great contracts and the fol.
low-up necessary in the ma,ufa cturing
processes, continuous study of new
weapons and instrum has
been kept up, a constant contact kept
with trained men abroad studying the
operation of ordnance material in bat,
tie, and accordingly modifying designs
and plans here by reason of observa-
tion and experience.
MANY of the classes OF ordnance
material requiring to be designed
specifications drawn. and contracts let
were wholly unfamiliar to our normal
military practices. The trench war
fare material alone involves commit
ments Of $2s2,0oO,000.
MANY of the ordnance departments
contracts involve increase of plant
facilities. or The construction OF new
plants, and constant inspection by in.
spectors who have had to be trained
in specially established schools.
For the quartermaster generals
department in 1918, $3,01s, 100000 was
appropriated, or sum more than four
times as great as the 1915 appropria'
tions for all governmental purposes.
"On the first day of April there
were BAT offers in the quarter1naster's
corps. On the first day Of January.
1918, there was total of 6,431 officers
Two Billions Spent
"On the first day Of January, 1918.
nearly two billion dollars of the ap-
preparation had been obligated by con-
tracts or disbursements.
This business involved accounting,
determination of standards, prices
quantities and the creation of new
manufacturing facilities
"In the wooden goods section alone,
the cooperation of over 100000 mills
was involved and the following items
gives some idea of the extensive char
acter of the operations; there have