The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1918-04-12


listed men. have been In attendance.
Corps Of Engineers.
| AZ the beginning Of the war the en-
Rineer troops consisted Of three regi-
I ments OF pioneer engineers, with
1 trains. one mounted company, one en-
/ gineer detachment at West Point The
/ aggregate strength was approximate
I Iy Alps officers and enlisted men. At
4 present the aggregate authorized
strength Is over 100000, with an act
uaI strength Of approximately 10000.
OF the special engineer units re-
! cruIted for service on railways and In
| the maintenance Of lines OF commune
cation, many are already in France
! and others are awaiting recruitment
/ 80 full strength in order to be ready
/ for overseas service. The first en-
gineer troops, LOO strong, to be sent
abroad, arrived in France about three
! months after war was declared. Since
! that time the number has been greatly
| augmented. These troops have been
constantly engaged in general en-
| cheering work, including the con-
struction Of railways. docks, wharyes,
environments, and hospitals for the use
Of the American expeditionary forces.
/ They have In some instances, in the
/ performance of their duties, engaged
in active combat with the enemy.
Ordnance Department.
Since the outbreak of war the
| commissioned personnel of the ord
nance department has expanded from
| "a officers, operating with yearly APP
propriations Of about $14,0O0.On0 and
with manufacture largely confined TO
| government arsenals, to 5000 officers
In this country and abroad, transacting
an unprecedented war program for the
supply of ordnance, the total direct
appropriations and contract authoriTa-
/ lions for one year having been $4,
756, 503,1s5.
The ordnance storage properties
/ embAace separate warehouse buildings
and miles Of railroad siding, all com
pretended within the depot premises,
| which are inclosed by electrically
charged wire barriers and lighted and
! patrolled with unremlttlng vigilance.
] One Of these depots, now under con-
| structlon, will include 100 separate
buildings and 80 miles of railroad spe-
| clally built to serve the depot's needs.
The supply division of the. ordnance
| department handles material amount
ing to approximately 10000 carloads a
month.
While building the foundation for
greater production, the ordnance de-
partment has provided 100000 rifles;
has brought the rate of rifle production
up to $4,000 per week sufficient to
equip three army divisions; secured
deliveries on more than 1900 ma
chine guns; brought the rate of pro-
duction of machine guns from 10000
to 225,000 per year; increased the rate
of production Of 3h-inch to 9-inch call
Der guns from 1900 to $4,000 per year;
and has arranged for the manufacture
of some $4,000 motortrucks and trac-
tors for hauling heavy guns and am
munition, which are being delivered
almost as fast as they can be shipped.
One billion rounds of ammunition
has been purchased for the training
of troops In the environments alone.
An Idea of the extent of the ord
nance program may be gained from
the following few items of purchase:
Twenty-three million hand grenades,
! 725,000 automatic pistols, 250000 re-
volvers, 28,000,00o projectlles for all
calibers Of heavy artillery, 427 ,246y000
pounds of explosives, 100000 machine
guns, and 2,4S4,0o0 rifles.
The ordnance problem, however is
no less one of quality than of quantity
| production. The American soldier is
/ being provided with weapons which
give him an additional safeguard to
life and a further guaranty of victory.
! Achievements of the ordnance de-
partment include the Browning ma
chine rifle, model of 1918, and the
Browning machine gun, heavy type
model of 1913 production of the for
mer now being on q quantity basis by
machine process, while similar produc
ton of the heavier type is imminent
The heavy Browning machine gun
water cooled, In a government tes
fred 10000 shots in As minutes ant
10 seconds without malfunction.
ouartermaster Corps.
The magnitude OF the work of tn,
, quartermaster corps is indicated b,
the operation Of the subsistence divi
/ sion. which is charged with the re
sponslbility Of seeing that food sup
; plies for the army are available at al
stations from the Philippines to Lor
: ralne. Purchases recently made IN
Guided 100000 pounds dried bean.
; 100000 cans baked beans of tn
! 1917 crop. 85.1s4.4T5 cans Of tomatoes
! 81, 600 600 cans of condensed milk, an
20.2sT, 600 pounds of prunes,
4 The establishment of the subsistence
1 division centralized tire purchases Q
; foodsturs for the army, previous I
a which such products were distribute
through the depot Quartsrmaster. K
, fective January 1. the central contr,
q system has resulted In greater ed
D cheney and big saving. In Januar