The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1919-01-20
Rehabilitation Of British
Army In Full Swing
(By Associated Prsss.)

London. Jan. Decentralization
Of the British army is now in full
swing. Up to the present time total
Oh $4,000 men have passed through the
SIX dispersal stations in England and
scotland and skilled workers are be-.
Ing returned to industry in rapidly in
creasing numbers. Soon fifteen dis.
persal stations will be in operation,
ach OF which will be capable of deal
Ing with 1000 men every twenty-four
hours.
According to Major General 8. F.
Observation-Disclosures, Director General
OF Rehabilitation, who at Camp Vim.
piedon today explained to q represen-
tative OF the Associated Press the de.
tails Of the work, It will be a Ions
Time before the rehabilitation limit
mas been reached. The Question Of the
} number Of men each OF the Assc ciated
governments is to leave in the enemy
countries for occupation purposes will
be determined at the Peace Confer.
ence.
The following classes are being de.
modified here:
Miners sick and wounded soldiers
, coA'aiescents. n@n over Al who were
called up in the last draft, pivotal
or leading men in industry, students
and teachers.
Those that will not be demobilized
Tor the present are the railway per.
sonnet in France, men having to dc
with transportation generally, and
those in charge of horses.
Many physicians have been released
. but a sufficient force will be retained
to care for the 100000 sick and wound
ed now under treatment.
General Hitchcock had been work
ing on rehabilitation plans for Is
months prior to the signing OF the
armistice, and his machinery was as
J nearly ready for its work as the ext
gencies of the war permitted. The
main outlines of his scheme were Dor
rowed from the measures taken by the
Japanese after their war with Rus
STA.
"The actual number of units to be
J got ready for rehabilitation" said
General Hitchcock, 'is $1,000. There
are nineteen categories of men each
category having different legal rights
to be safeguarded.
y "The rate of rehabilitation depends
} upon transportation facilities. More
and more ships are being converted
! into transports and they soon will ex-
coed berth accommodation at the va
| rious ports from which the men are
| being sent home. Every ship from
France is now bringing over troops
some from the front. The bulk OF
them are miners, $4,000 having been
released from the army to date"
n Conditions Of rail and road trans
portation in France are extremely bad
he pointed out, and the question OF
supplying the army Of occupation IN
Germany was paramount.
| Just because man is on leave al
| home doesn't entitle him, said General
| Hitchcock, to be mustered out OF ser
| vice before a soldier in the field MOI
| is the question Of a mans discharge
left in the hands of commanding Off
GERS. "a commanding officer can
Z say" the General continued, Well
Z this man makes a good waiter at thu
I mess and we won't let him CO."
( Compassionate cases." that is
Z where the wife of soldier is seri
7 ously i'll or where there are mother
! less children, are being dealt with al
4 quickly as possible,
I! Soldiers are bringing home vas
! quantities of luggage. One ship from
{ Holland had $500 tons of it, includ
Z ing four grand pianos and beehive
7 which was overturned and an Office
! badly stung.
( At the Wimbledon station the cor
I respondent saw the working Of tn
! rehabilitation machinery. On arriva
Z the men find a hot meal awaiting
I" them, no matter what the hour of da
or night. Each receives ration boof
: an unemployment policy railwa
! warrant, a pamphlet Of good advice
I SO, a label for the return Of his over
coat. a certificate emitting him
I draw pay and all allowances for 2
days.
Thorough Identification of the re
turning soldier is regarded as in
portant. "You would be surprised
said General Hitchcock, Ito know no
many Tommies change their identif
cation disks with pals. It's the sam
in the French army. Why they do