The Washington herald., 1920-02-08
F0ESOFDRAFT
ARMY,
KAHN CHARGES
House Military Committee
Chairman Refutes Mon I
dell's, Statement.
CUTS HIGH ESTIMATES
Declares Cost Of First
Years Training $780, 4
100000.

Universal military training was
strongly urged In a formal statement
issued yesterday by Representative
Julius Kahn. Republican. Of Cali
fornia, chairman Of the House Mill
tary Affairs Committee.
Although no names were mentioned.
Chairman Kahn said he was prompted
to make the statement b the many
misleading and incorrect statements
nede by those opposed to training"
and It was plain that his remarkS
we're intended Ii refute the assertiins
Of Republican Leader MindelL whi is
leading the ippisition,
Aside from being an assurance
against war. Mr.. Kahn cintended that
the cost il the propised system would
be iniy about siz.o 900 900 a year, Instead
Of s7oo.ooo.ooo as stated by Mondeli,
The total yearly cost Of the entire
military establishment Including a
system Of training. the Military Com
mittee head added. would be about
s5eo,ooo.o 900 as against 1850. 100000 sug-
gested by the Republican leader.
Says Some Men Opposed Draft.
The eight which is being waged
against universal military training on
the ground Of economy Is not surpris-
ing. said Kahn in Discussing his
formal statement because It is being
made by the very men In Congress-
who lined up against the seiecive
draft the manpower bill and other
Preparedness legislation during the
war.
The pacifist and pre-war record
Of the leaders opposing training.
he added. shows them to be against
far-sighted military policy. But
the military committee, Kahn con-
fidently asserted. will not assume
the responsibility of refusing to let
the House itself pass on the ques-
tion-
Within the next ten days the
committee is expected to report out
the army reorganization bill with
a provision for military training.
This measure. according to ,the
chairman "contemplates a total
force Of about e75.ooo officers and
men. Evesyone who has studied
the question of enlistments in the
regular Army knows positively that
this will be at best a paper army.
Force of 100000 Urged.
Il believe absolutely that we can
appropriate for a force of zoe, 900
men for the regular army for the
fiscal year 1921 with entire safety"
Inability to recruit a force larger
than this, he explained, will make
1t unnecessary to provide greater
appropriations. He continued:
The We Department on Janu-
ary 1s started a recruiting drive to
secure total of approximately S4,-
900 recruits by the end of March.
During the week between January
10 and 26, 1.344 recruits were Sc
cured. At that rate IL win take
sixty weeks to enlist the entire
force of $4,000 recruits. Even in
pre-war periods we were never able
to enlist men to the full authorized
strength C1 the Army.
The appropriations for an approxi-
mate army of 10000 individuals will
cost in the neighborhood of $3.50, ,0Oo,-
CO."
This figure is based tn "a rate or
81 900 per annum for each man in the
army.
Under the plan of universal train
ing, as proposed in the Senate BILL"
Mr.. Kahn went on. lit will cost about
$S4 per month while he is at the
camps. or a total for 60O,0 900 men of
about so. 10000 per month. II the
training period should be four months,
the total cost would be $sl 600, 600. Say
we add $4,000. 900 for possible contin-
gencies, and the total cost Of the
training will be in the neighborhood
of s131, 900. .0oO
shows Loss From Unpreparedness.
"of course. we will probably have to
appropriate between s50,0o0. 900 and $50.
10000 for the National Guard.
"All told, the cost OF the military
l.nETINUrEn nv pAnr ruun