The Cordova daily times., 1923-03-15
WOULD LIGHTEN THEBURDEN OF
 U. 5. SOLDIER

WASHINGTON, March 15. - The heaviest laden pack animal of the army is the doughboy himself. Inch for inch by size or pound for pound of his own weight, the buck private ol infantry carries on his back into bat tie double the burden handled by horses or mules or motor trucks.
 And he is expected to jog cheerful ly along through the ooze beside the road, leaving the good going to the gas and animal transport.
 Army experts are racking their brains for ways to cut down the dough. boys load. Exhaustive study has been given to war experience for that purpose. Through tbe American Le. zion and similar organizations, efforts have been made to get the men who carried the infantry packs in France to suggest changes. But as yet it has been possible, it was said at the War Department, to get only a few ounces of weight off the backs of the trudging infantry.
 Experts figure that the average load for a foot soldier should not exceed 61 pounds. Yet under the present or ganization tables, "No. 3, rear rank" " (who is the automatic rifleman in the infantry) must stagger along under about 133 pounds when fully equipped. All of the machine gun personnel is burdened almost as heavily, carrying from 115 to 125 pounds per man; and the machine gunners since the war make up about one-fourth of the strength of an infantry outfit.
 The bulk of the doughboy's load is fighting equipment. What he carries for his own bodily comfort has always been stripped down to the absolute minimum Aside from his "iron ra- tions," his blanket, overcoat, extra shoes, mess kit, canteen and his few essential toilet articles, the weight the dIlll llldH pdSho lIo q Sl III phi pose The whole intricate business of war revolves around the doughboy and his rifle and bayonet.
 The American army rifle is still about the last word in efficient, light weight fighting tools. There is no pros pect that it's weight can be further reduced. So the experts are pom dering over each other article in the infantry pack to see what can be eli minated or sent back to the wagon trains until needed.
 Since the war ended, plans have been worked out to tighten the emer- gency rations, the two days supply each hiking soldier carries with him. Several ounces can be taken out of the container weights and few more out of the mess kits, and ounces feel like tons toward the end of forced march It now seems probable, also. that the pup" tents carried hereto fore may be abandoned or at least greatly reduced in weight, and that the extra shoes will go back to the es- cort wagons. Still another develop ment is in experiments with new water proofing methods to make rain coats and, perhaps, overcoats. unne' cessary and also to save the dough boy from having to carry pounds of water in his soaking equipment after march in the rain.
 If all of the individual fighting and defensive equipment that is provided for him was loaded on the doubhboy s back, he probably would not be able to lift his feet off the ground, and if he did succeed in moving, he would chatter and rattle like an old cook stove In addition to his arms, am munition, food and clothing, modern war requires that the infantryman should have available as he comes tC grips with the enemy, hand grenades rifle bombs, trench knife, day and III . Wol ho lol ol5Ae1llhSo Aiio Po sition, sandbags for quick entrench ing, picks and shovels for digging him self in, gas masks, helmet, first aid kit, and dozen other things he might need. But there is no possibility that he could carry it all and move, so the experts are weighing the probabilities and article by article reasoning out just how far back it would be safe to send it along the supply line so that it could be brought up when the call came.
 An army mule is a mighty weight carrier and in rough going 'cross country the long cared friend of the soldier probably always will be closer at the doughboys heels than any other element of the army. But the max imum load for an 800 pound pack mule | is 250 pounds, and the lighter the | load under army regulations. Loads