Salt Lake Tribune | 1919-03-09 | Page 2 | U.S. Army to Total 509,909

OliTf1 TDTH8, Department Will Retain 200,000 Guardsmen and Draftees Till Fall. j TV A .S 1 1 1 N rrox, March 8 . R o t c 1 1 1 1 o 1 1 wuhin (Ik: army of about L' 00,000 men, obtained MiroijKii Hi'; ilraflH and by transfer trans-fer from ilio national RiiaM, l-i planned i.y Hifi w:ir department In l.uiUJinf,' up a temporary military eMabliMirneiit of Ihe tuition. Tins v;im definitely made known lo.l.iy hy (h-m-nil Mar h, chh-f of staff, v ho a Ni!(niii-."il llh: de-deion of the., war h-pai'tun-ut that, tlic army would "not bo reduced under any circumstances" below riuti.Ony until uome, law was parsed fixing fix-ing the perma nent force. "All the military problems . that confront con-front uh ha vo. been carefully considered, flelrrminln 1 hn number of men nece h-.-ary," Oeuoral Mar h fcaid, "and wo can not. Kt alont; without that number -5ui),- 'i:Ti -.and t hey will be held." I ' in I'm- eis! i ntr legislation, t be 'ma s! - ii tu in war s i ri ho I b of I lie permanent army in ::!iimn. The ejet figure, officer of-ficer explained, ran not be explained, siiii'O ,s(nim of the staff corps, .such :w tbo una j'ternia.Hinr corps for instance., U permitted per-mitted wtdo latitudo in their expansion. Voluntary enlistmont.s to (ill the regular rmy havo been rei nation rated, botli in ibis conn try and in l-Yance. General I'nrsbiug has been authorized to transfer ieruUM obtained from tho expeditionary forced to tho regular organizations and 10 re lea mo an rquivalent number of drafted men. There will remain, howevor, a deficiency defi-ciency of 'j(iO,ou( from tho total declarod by tho military authorities to be tho minimum mini-mum consistent with tho responsibilities of tho nulled ritates. These men, there-lore, there-lore, will havo to cut no from tho forces which tho war department had planned tu demobilize. Secret a i y Raker so vera 1 flays a.po, In explaining Iho poMltion of the war department depart-ment as a result of the failure of the sixty-fifth congress to paa.s tho army reorganisation re-organisation a iid appropriation bill, said i bit t biM greatest regret was that "a !aru number of men will now have to br retained in the service." . -T.hu Me lee t i ve service act , under which uja ny of t bo men to lie returned were 1 1 it I lie ted. fixes four months after the, president la 1 procla b;i tlou of peace us the maximum for tho rut en Hon of members mem-bers of the temporary forces. j M Hilary a ut horities foresee . no compli-ealion compli-ealion as a result of this limitation, how- et. feeling certain that tiie final peace ii ea ly can not be agreed upon before May ttt tho earliest. This will extend t he nn list men t period of tho draft eon-liuLceuts eon-liuLceuts to September, before which, they feel certain, congress will have noted to relievo tiio situation.