Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-11-02


good words and q bottle Of cham
New Army Transport slowed the
Christened by Albert. tisnv, upon
the new Army transport and sent
down the ways Of the Hog Island
shipyard a thoroughly we'll christened
ship. He did this in the presence OF
a gathering from Washington Of
naval and Army officers and shipping
board officials. all interested because
begun as q war measure to take
Yanks to the aid of the nation whose
ruler was doing the honors at the
party. The Cantigny is the first Of
seventy steamers designed especially
are to have a $4,000 lightweight tom
mage and a speed of 15.5 knots. They
are, Of course especially fitted for
the accommodation of men and their
equipment with view to their heaita
and comfort. They carry $500 men
$500 tons of equipment.
With the advent of peace the Army
will not require any such NUMBER OF
transports as the government or.
OeFeu. anu Iue war bcpdI wa
retain only eleven of them, They
will supplant the venerable and use
less transports that adorned the reg
lister at the time war was declared.
The Navy may receive some to De
used as tenders, for which purpose
they will be valuable vessels. The
remainder of the lot ordered. If COM
pleted. will doubtless be absorbed at
once for the merchant service.
In event of another emergency the
~ ~, oh
straits for shipping If the Hog Island
plant IL maintained. In it's space-a
mile and half long by mile in
width-it has every facility for the
storage of material and Appliance for
producing the fabricated ship From
than two ships a week. and under
pressure-which means three shifts
working twenty-four hours-it can
launch a ship a day-a statement re-
garded obviously when made year
ago. The ships are only assembled
at this plant The plates and parts
of the hull are formed at the steel
works. wheresoever situated-shaped.
drilled and made ready for the yard
mechanics to fabricate into the COM
pleted vessel. So we'll is the work
synchronized that of three ships
whose keels were laid on the same
day two were ready a month later for
launching on the same day, and the
third within the next forty-eight
hours.
The enormous overhead charges of
the Hog Island plant must be writ
ten on as national charge on &C
count of lack of preparedness, and
on that basis, in spite of the enormous
cost Of labor and material, this yard,
under the American system of guam
tity production" is turning out these
vessels at tonnage cost said to be
lower than that on the Cldye. With
.If asr~er
laws, there is good reason to believe
that this yard and others which the
war has created will turn out ships
that will carry the American flag to
all parts Of the seas as the wooden
driven from the ocean during the
hard days OF the civil war.
Approaching debate in Congress on
the bill which will make the infantry
school at
Army Infantry School Camp Ben
! Arouses Interest. coiumpu.,
Ca. the great tsaining school for OFF,
GERS and non-commissioned officers
again arouses interest in that it is
q subject of vital Importance to the
future well being of the Army.
The object of the school is to train
commissioned officers Of the Army
and Of the National Guard thoroughly
in every branch of the fnfantrymAn'e
duties, In order that they IN turn may
carry their lessons. into the military
organisations for their enlighten-
ment ana Improvement. There 10 great
need Of this opportunity for the In
fantry. Il II the largest branch OF the
Army: furnishing IS per cent OF the
actual 1927, 600 combatant force OF
the American Army in Europe. In pro-
portion to its numbers 1t suffered far
more casualties than any of the other
branches-far more than all Of them
put together; for the infantry's cas-
ualties were 228.258 out Of total Tor
the American list of 255.1SS. Their
ed out of every 1900 of infantry going
into action.
All military leaders recognize that
In the last analysis the infantry ID the
leading arm and that all others are
auxiliary to 1t. however important
they be. wholly aside from the hu-
manitarian interest then It Ii easy 70
see that the military point OF view
demands that the infantry have that
training which will enable them TO
infiict the most severe losses UPON on, .ne
enemy at the least expense IN casual
ties to themselves. 1t Is an equaily
ohvious truth that in order to infiict
Casualties and to avoid them IN ac-
ton infantry must be trained 70 ~
tion in cooperation or nasoh WIN 'ne
auxiliary arms.
Unfortunately the Statement that the
American infantry suffered many
casualties and conversely lost many
opportunities to inf1ict damage upon
the enemy because it had not peen
well trained is true. Its training was
~ the whole better than might have
been reasonably expected. for in the
earlier days capable instructors,
suitable training places ana haison
study with the auxiliary arms were
almost lacking. AS things turned gu.
n was the pluck and intelligence OF
the American officer and the pluck and
responsiveness Of the American sol
dier that helped to bridge dimculties'
that might have been insurmountaDle
n the mere arrival of the American
armies had not been the turning
point in the breaking OF German
morale. No one American ever cap,
tured a hundred Germans VINO olo
not want to be captured
One factor helped the American in
fantry at the beginning, and that was
that the French and the Englisn were
able to send some excellent instructors
familiar with the latest developments
os the Germans In another emer-
pency such a factor may not be pos
sibIe; the economy OF time. OF men
and Of money and in having them al
hand when needed Is 100 pain 10 heeo
a second thought
The object then of an infantry
school such as that begun at Camp
Benning is clear to any one who Will
take pains to look. The project has
the support of Lieut.. Gen. Hunter
Liggett, of Lieut.. Cen X L. Buiiaaa,
~ averv oficer in the Army