Evening star., 1919-03-16

has been appointed to succeed Maj:
Gen. William Henley as director OF
the division of military aeronautics.
More criticism perhaps has been di-
rected at the War Department upon
the point of moving troops across the
seas than on any one other subject.
Yet the forces and their supplies were
sent in such numbers that they car
ried dismay to the Hun. Now people
are saying that they cannot be
brought back on schedule time and
that the expense has been outrageous.
Some estimates have placed the cost
for each soldier at more than the price
of first-class ticket before the war.
Now Brig Gen. Frank c. Hines, who
was at the head of the Army divi-
sion of Decentralization that conducted
operations for moving the troops to
Europe. has returned from making A.
nal arrangements for their return to
the United States.
:.
Gen. Hines says that his relations
with the British and the French au-
h o it i e s
Troop Transportation were made
Costs Are Criticised. % ahIe bv
ding ships for the transport feet of
the United States. Negotiations easily
reached a satisfactory arrangement,
both as to the number of vessels and
the cost to the War Department for
their use. The original understanding
with both France and England had
been that their vessels carrying troops
should be operated on a cost basis, but
there had been no specific arrange
ment for charter of their shipping for
the return transport. Now this mat
ter is settled definitely. Each of these
nations has contributed its full quota
of vessels, and done it without hesi-
tation. although both wanted and
needed all their bottoms for food and
supplies for their economic consump-
ton.
Reports had it that the United
States would have to pay as much as
$175 for every soldier carried in a
British ship to Europe. The cost may
not Re as much as third of that sum
and will at the utmost be little more
than that. The terms for both carry
and return have been made the same
exact cost. These terms have been re-
duced to written form and turned over
to the accounting auditors for calcu-
lation. In addition both parties have
dSTceu upon reciprocal IdlcS,
and British. French and Americans
will operate together in returning as
well as moving the greatest force that
has ever been moved across an ocean
to take part in an internecine war.
X
Some months ago the division Of en-
barkation promised that it would bring
back the
Division to Expedite troops Of
Bringing Troops Home. F. at as
good rate as it had shown in taking
them into the scrap, and the chief of
that division. Brig. Gen. Hines, has
told how it is to be accomplished.
The French and British have allo-
Gated transports to the service; the
embarkation division has, after win
ter overhaul, all the transports that
were in its service before the sign
of the armistice; arrangements have
been made which, if carried out, will
give big German liners of high speed
and great carrying capacity to the
service, and, in addition. there will
be fifty-four American freighters
converted into temporary use as
troopships.
The promised number of returns
for February was not kept. The in
dicated number was 100000, and all
that came were a total of $4,000.
The promise for March is 225. 900, and
on March 1900 were af1oat.
Beginning with the month of April.
the service expects to bring back
troops at the rate Of so0.0e0 a month,
and it will be no surprise if that
number is slightly under the actual
total.
Gen. Hines says that when he was
in the camp at Brest. couple of
weeks ago, soldiers asked him il he
couldn't get them home as fast as
he had taken them over, and when