Bisbee daily review., 1921-12-15
ECONOMY WAVE
SWEEPS ARMY;
BUCKS Thrift Y
Doughboys No Longer Turn
In Uniforms Just For Fun
Of Drawing New Outfits

WASHINGTON, Dec. IA. - The
time was when, in popular fancy no
good soldier ever looked at his heels.
That belief, fostered by countless
pokesmiths, is due to be rudely shat
tered when the doughboys of the pres
ent army offer their testimony, ac-
cording to officials of the war de-
pertinent. The good soldier of the
present day is giving careful atten-
ton to not only his shoes, heels and
soles, but to every item Oh ms equip
ment, they declare-and all because
of the wave of economy that has
swept over the military arm Of the
service.
In it's effort to live within the re-
duced appropriations granted by the
present congress the army has been
forced to apply economies all along
the line, and the thrift habit is being
impressed on the rank and file in
manner calculated to leave an abid
ing impression.
No Uniforms Strapped
Some saving soul suggested that
the item of shoes was one that might
be easily be subjected to little
pruning. The doughboys were scuff-
ing out their sole leather at a rate
that threatened to prove ruinous, he
demonstrated, and 1t was suggested
that the man behind the bun be made
personally responsible ror the state
was adopted, and as translated to the
rank and file it runs ABOUT as fol-
lows:
Privates will see that their shoe
soles are in good order - that they
are turned in for replacement at the
first sign of a hole in the outer lay
er of leather. And they will make
this shoe inspection every day, on
penalty of having to pay themselves
for any requirements where the old
shoe turned in to the Quartermaster's
department is too greatly worn to
permit its repair.
In the matter of clothing, too, the
war department is effecting savings
wherever possible. When a private
or "non-com" takes his best girl to
the movies he is clad in his Sunday
best, the suit he wears only at in
spection and when on pass. In his
other waking hours he is uniformed
in khaki that has seen better days but
still is serviceable for drills and
camp routine. Careful inspection OF
salvaged clothing are made by the in
spector general to the end that no
uniform be scrapped while there yet
IL minimum of service in it.
Economy Is General
Economies in clothing, however, are
merely straws to show how the wind
10 in hn
to make congress dollars go as far
as possible is apparent all along the
line, and even the rawest of recruits
is aware that thrift is regarded as
cardinal virtuei the army. That is
impressed on him as soon as he en-
lists, for where it once was possible
to join the colors in one part or
country and be assigned to duty with
some remote organization, getting
splendid opportunity to See America
First" at the present expense of the
war department, things work out
quite differently now. Recruits are
assigned to organizations nearest the
stations where they enlist. and the
day of free sightseeing tours are
over, war department officials as
sert.
This transportation taboo is fast be-
coming all-incluSive, according to
army officers. In times past, when
regiment was transferred to another
post the transfer was accomplished
by entraining the men and their i'm
pedimenta and setting them down in
their new home, bag and baggage. I'm
der the new scheme of things, the
transfer of a regiment involves no
such expenditure OF time and money.
Only the colors of the outfits to be
transferred are sent on the new post,
the men being assigned to some other
organization nearby.
An instance of this is to be found
in the recent transfer of the 18th in
fantry regiment from the Atlantic to
the Pacific coast. The colors of the
18th were sent to San Francisco
and by boat instead of train, to save
expense-the men of the old 18th
were transferred to 18th infantry reg
iment, nearby. and the new regiment
on the Pacific coast was filled by
members of the 32nd infantry, who
had been put on the inactive list, at
the Preside. Even the colonel of
the 32nd infantry became the COM
mander of the transferred" 18th.
Hikes Are Popular
When transfers of units are to be
made at lesser distances they are ac-
complished by hiking. The men
shoulder their full impost of equip
ment, the accompanying baggage
trains are loaded, the command to
march is given and the outfit is on
its way to its new post.
Another evidence of the army's eff
fort to cut its coat of expenses ac-
cording to the cloth appropriated is
to be found in a new sentence that is
beginning to appear in the general or
ders of the chef of staff That SEN
tence reads: mo expense will be in
CURED by the government in connec-
ton with the change herein direct
ed" Interpreted by officials of the
war department. it means that no in
dividual transfers are being made ex-
cept at the expense of the individual
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