Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-01-19
MEMBER of Congress who
has held a commission in the
Army has been urging great
- S~.al 10 rv,,,- dnmnhtliza

~ has held commission IN the
- Army has been urging great
er speed in Army demobiliza-
hon. His utteranees in Congress
were to the effect that the officers of
the regular Army, In. a natural de-
sire to enjoy the dignity and pay of
their temporary rank. were not max
ing their best effort to secure the
discharge from the service of the men
who made up their commands. This
has brought about little inquiry as
to the number of men demobilized
up to January IL.
The mastering out process Is quite
different from the preconceived idea
that alr that has to be done is to line
he men up before their commanding
officer to listen to a farewell speech
from him. 1t occupies about three
days for each man. His service rec
ord must be checked up: and his rec
prd completed. He must turn in his
equipment, and his accounts must be
adjusted and closed. He then passes
INTO the hands of the medical officers,
who make a minute physical examina-
zion and decide whether 1t is best for
him to leave the surgeons care. In
he case of certain diseases he is not
permitted to leave the Army until all
Hanger of contagion is past.
The force necessary 10 maintain
police-guard care for a camp. includ-
ing the medical force and the hos
pitfalls. is about 5000 men. none of
whom can be discharged while thus
Engaged. If the flow from the camps
Is undaly large. there is danger OF
congestion on the railroads: and for
fhese reasons the demobilization from
The camps is necessarily not very |
amid However n January III I
this number had amounted to about +!
$4,000. .-
1t is quite obvious that the men |
from the other side cannot be de- /
moSilized any |
Depends on Capacity more rapidly |
than til e |
Of Transports. ,ransnorts
bring them back to this country, for ;
ft would be absurd to discharge the !
men and cut them loose in France |
The embarkation service had brought /
over, up to January II. about $4,000 |
men. who have been discharged since !
their arrival. The sick and wounded |
occupy a considerable space on the !
returning transports to the exclusion
of the troops ready for discharge; it /
was decided that in the interest of |
the mems health the quota of each |
vessel should be reduced 20 per cent.
1T took some time on the other side
to reverse the machinery that was
Ewing q flow of men and material |
howard the east and to turn them
back TO the west. The winter months |
are severe for ships; under war pres
Iolo ,n1 low n G
was reasonable. and many vessels are /
now. in accordance with custom. un-
dergoing winter overhaul.
Contrary to q popular conception.
the British are well keeping up their
and supplying their
but Ii was hever agreed that they
should give the same number for re-
turn Transportation that they did for |
the eastward voyage when the pen
atty of delay was the prolongation of
the war. 1t is well understood that
in the next few months. with the re-
turn of favorable weather, the num- !
Der of transports will be greatly in
creased, and with the vacating of /
the camps by the discharge of men
who had not embarked for the other
eide there will be plenty of room |
for the reception and care of the re-
turning divisions and for their
prompt discharge.
witch all the disadvantage Of re-
turning troops in winter, with moth
ing really prepared owing to the un-
early collapse of the Ger
man defense. the Army has demobi-
liked more than 100000 troops. or
nearly double the number that Great
Britain has released in the same
time.
The failure Of the War Department
to submit to Congress its plan for
Army reor |
Army Reorganization g a n izasion
Still Lacks Plans. nseouent
inability of the legislative body to
approve or disapprove the policy that
the plan may. indicate is having the |
effect of holding up all legislation
looking to the immediate future OF
the Army. This situation became no
tfceabIe in the hearing before the |
Senate committee on military affairs
Ia st Friday over the discussion; Of the |
abandonment of the site of the small |
arms training school. at Columbus, !
Ga This camp, known as Camp Ben |
llings, contains about $4,000 acres of |
land has had expended upon it APP
proximately ~. 10000 In money: the !,
full pho jecty to cost $4,000. 900 more.
The title to the land was under con- ,
ftnu pracaodin1a the War De- |