Show Now Exact Numerical Strength Of American Army Armyo Ever Been So No o Such Force Has Organized Quickly in All History Says Say Baker I I I I I By United Press Jan 10 10 f WASHINGTON No army of similar size in ill the history of ot the world has hag ever been raised equipped or trained so quickly as the present American army anny Secretary of War Baker today told senate military investigating his department depart depart- ment Pointing to the fact that in nine months all branches of the army have grown from of officers officers officers of- of to officers and from men to 1 men he answered his critics with witha a broad outline of work accomplished a plashed a work which he ho held showed the splendid effectiveness effective effective- ness of the American people American accomplishments he said are re such as to depress German German German Ger Ger- Germans man morale when the realize that the American de democracy democracy de- de nl raci has neither blundered Ivor loi lQ b ip collated i ed 1 but hu ut has actual has has' s tU l Y Brought rought rou t the thc tu full l power men men and resources resources into into com pI el br T strength again t their military machine Health in camps is rapidly l. improving improving improving im im- proving the clothing shortage e is practically met the death rate is isI lower than in civil life Ufe further increments of the army can bo ho adequately equipped and trained as rapidly as those already in inI he lle training can be transported declared SPIRIT HIGH All this he lie added has been accomplished accomplished accomplished ac ac- ac- ac without serious in industrial industrial industrial in- in dislocation The spirit of the army is high it is well fed All l kinds of guns are available available available avail avail- able for every soldier who can be gotten to France in the year of 1918 and great programs new instruments of war have been formulated Baker did not answer criticisms in detail in his lies preliminary state state- ment As for the ordnance department department department de de- he pointed to lack of experts available and to the tremendous tre tre- tremendous tre- tre expansion required at atthe atthe the tho start of the war The war council he lie announced will add addI army officers and men from civil I life from time to time ReorganIzation Reorganization Reorganization of ot the ordnance branch is well weB under way while the quartermaster quartermaster quartermaster branch is undergoing shifts in which army men mell and civilians will ViII be utilized It was anticipated too that Baker would tal take c occasion to discuss his plans for centralizing ing purchases and and supplies Asfor As Asfor Asfor for the council of ot national de defense defense defense de- de and war industries board ho felt they had filled important niches NO APOLOGIES Baker Daker asked the cooperation and advice of the tho military but without apology for shortcomings He said in conclusion conclusion conclusion con con- I Wo We can now see the entire situation The international rush needs are aro substantially supplied sup sup- sup sup- plied The technical al corps have been expanded and reorganized on industrial and efficient lines Tho The coordination of all international international international needs with our purchases has been effected An agency exists to prevent conflicts and to adjust those which cannot be he prevented pre pre- vented By the cooperation of or all interests in- in in interests n- n and all people In tho the country the nation is now or organized organized organized or- or and set to its task with unanimity of spirit and confidence confidence confidence dence dence in its powers More has been done than anybody any- any body hody dared to believe possible That there re have been here hero and and and of Judgment there errors without saying but butI delays goes I should be wanting in frankness were I to omit my own estimate of the real unselfishness and intelligence in intelligence in- in with which my as associates asso- asso so- so military and civilian have applied themselves th to this undertaking undertaking under under- undertaking taking and the results demonstrate demon demon- strate strata the success of ot their ef efforts ef- ef forts T TASK SK IS BIG Massing figures to show the American progress Baker Daker sugI sug- sug suggested 1 I ested to the tho committee inferentially inferentially that they had dwelt on details which though important obscured the bigness of the task done i The death rate ate In our forces in the United States Baker said from September mid-September to the end of December averaged 75 per 1000 and is is' is slightly less than would have been the death rate of men of the same age at t home Aside from deaths due to measles and its complications pneumonia nia chi chiefly fly the rate was about 2 per 1000 per year and it Is hoped that with improved clothing clothing clothing cloth cloth- ing and health conditions the 75 rate will be lessened Turning to the ordnance branch he pointed to the necessity necessity necessity sity for developing trained officers officers cers enlarging the working force building new new structures modifying modifying modifying modify modify- ing designs design and plans to conform to latest war experience Expansion Expansion Expansion Ex Ex- Ex- Ex too had made the quartermaster quartermaster quartermaster branch problems d m- m cult In the course of a r resume sume of of I accomplishments the secretary i r declared ht I Rai RAPIDLY bL TRACED r The training ra hh b th army is proe proceeding eding ra r rapidly idly and its spirIt is high T Ta subsistence ot of the army has ben been above criticism its initial clothing supply temporarily temporarily tempo tenpo- Inadequate is now w Jub ul c complete and I will rapidly accumulate Arms of the tho most modern and effective I kind including artillery machine guns automatic rifles and tind small arms have been provided by manufacture or purchase for I every soldier in France and amI are available for every soldier who can an be gotten to France In ill the tho year 1918 I A substantial army is already in France where both men and andI officers have been additionally I and specially trained and are ready leady for active service No army of or similar size in the history history his his- tory tory tory-of of the world has ever been raised raised equipped equipped or trained so quickly No such provision has ever been made for the comfort rt health and general well being of or oran an an army The TIle health report for December December December Decem Decem- ber for a variety of reasons be became became became be- be came suddenly less favorable than for the preceding months but the unfavorable conditions have been met mot and improvement is already apparent Bakers Baker's statements were made mada he said with a full realization that some expressions of doubt difference of opinion and disapproval disapproval disapproval have haye been submitted to the tho The war department he lie continued con con- con continued continued has spent eight months hearing similar expressions analyzing them correcting the conditions out of which they gr grew w perfecting its organization to prevent their recurrence and andall andall andall all the while driving on to the accomplishment of the tho main task I am glad to lay before the committee c and the country certain facts with reference to the war do- do de departments department's departments department's work sa said Id Baker opening his testimony Not all of or jt it is new to you OU but it is well welI to have some ome underlying ing facts freshly fresh in our minds at times limes when the consideration of or details however r important in themselves might otherwise obscure re the real progress made in th the central task SEEK SEEK CRITICISM CRITICISM The war dt department is eager to profit by all help helpful ul criticism and andI I thank the committee for tor the in inquiries in- in which it has made and for Cor forthe tho the which it is giving and will give in making our preparation preparation prepa prepa- ration increasingly adequate and speedy On the first day of April 1917 1911 the regular army comprised officers and enlisted men the national guard In federal service serIce service ser ser- vice Ice approximately officers and enlisted men and the re reserve reserve reserve re- re serve enlisted men There There- were also at that time approximately approximately 2753 2763 officers in the reserve but as these were on inactive duty they cannot properly be considered in estimating the strength of the army of ot the United States at that time On the tho day of ot December December Decem Decem- ber 1917 the regular arm army consIsted consisted con con- slated of ot officers ers and enlisted men the national guard of or officers and enlisted enlisted enlisted en en- listed men the national arm army of men and tho the reserve of 81 g.- 1 Continued on op page 6 6 I I NOW EXACT Continued from page 1 officers and enlisted men In other words In nine months the Increase has been from officers officers 4 cers to officers from aro 10 O men to men I During the war with Spain the army of the fife United States at its maximum strength aggregated ag men and officers The army now In the field and In ip training is ls therefore roughly six times as great as the maximum number under under un un- der arms In the Spanish-American Spanish warThe warThe warThe war The total number already In the military service Is one and a halftimes half halt halftimes times as large as any force mobilized mob mob- I by this nation Hatton DRAFT LAWA LAW y I substantial of of A part our mil tart tary tal forces was selected by the operation of a draft law the execution exe exe- i i cotton cution of oJ which has demonstrated bo both tt 1 the economical and the effi etti- efficient dent way of selecting soldiers Th The law w was as drawn its execution carried car car- red ried to a successful conclusion and the theory of the law novel to our people explained and made popular popular popular lar because of its demonstrated fairness both in plan and x tion lion For the quartermaster generals general's i department in 1918 was appropriated or a sum more I than four times timeR as great as the 1915 appropriations for all governmental governmental governmental govern govern- mental purposes On the first da day of April there were officers in bt the quartermasters quartermaster's quartermasters quartermaster's quartermasters quartermaster's quarter quarter- masters master's coresOn corps cores On the fife first da day of January Januar 1918 nearly of ot ot the appropriation had been ben obligated b by contracts or disbursements In the woolen goods section alone the cooperation of over mills was Involved and the following following follow follow- in ing items give some idea sf lIf the extensive character of the operations operations opera opera- tl R There have been purchased over 19 blankets yards ards of and over o 30 yards each of shirting flannel flannel flan flan- nel and suiting involving an ex ex- of over In cotton goods the department has contracted for yards ards of various cotton cloths ADD Further idea of ot the size of purchases purchases purchases pur pur- chases in this department will be conveyed by tho the follow following ing figures figures figures fig fig- ures PURCHASES TO DEC 29 1917 Winter Hinter drawers pairs Winter undershirts Woolen gloves pairs Wool lightweight stockings pairs Wool Hoot heavyweight stockings pairs Shoes purchased for delivery to January 1 pairs Shoes purchased for delivery January June 1 1 pairs Cots The quartermaster generals general's department Jn In n the supply section alone a made contracts covering coverIng covering cover cover- ing different kinds of ot articles and aggregating a money value of 01 IMMENSE INCREASE Of the total war department appropriations for 1918 was for the ordnance de department de- de The value o of r the products products products' products products' prod prod- of all iron and steel Industries Industries Industries Indus Indus- tries in the United States in 1914 was was' or less than one one- I third of oP the amount to be expended expended expended ex ex- by the ordnance depart depart- t ment meat Of this gigantic sum the ordnance ordnance ord ord- nance nonce department has already placed contracts amounting to On the first day of April 1917 the ordnance department consisted of 97 commissioned officers occupying occupying p square feet of office- office loom room In Washington It now coni con con- i e of officers occupying more more than fourteen acres of ot floor space and in addition has enlisted personnel The aviation section of the signal cor corps s on on u-i u the first day of ot April 1917 consisted of ot 6 63 By officers and 1120 men On the first day of January 1918 it consisted of officers and men When he finished his statement Baker got out a long thin cigar and asked whether several ladies present objected to smoking Assured Assured Assured As As- they did not he lit up up Senator Chambe Chamberlain began questioning questioning questioning ques ques- Baker about the adopted by the ordnance department depart depart- ment Baker r replied by taking up the I subject of oP rifles I U. U S. S RIFLE B BEST ST ST. The rifle TiCie made for the American Ameri Amerl- can ann army is without doubt the best hest the Springfield rifle as aR modified everybody agrees is the best in the world 1 Senator We Weeks Week's 1 s' s broke in declaring declaring ing the fife staten statement ent the Springfield is the best is very far from the fact Well Vell of course I 1 cant can't talk to I everybody In the th world said saidI Baker But et everybody to whom I I 1 have talked has agreed about the I rifle Chamberlain said one of tho the thoI I serious criticisms criticism against the ordnance ordnance ordnance ord ord- nance department was wll J that it t abandoned the old Springfield and didn't adopt the British Enfield which American factories were making in large quantities This criticism said Chamberlain Chamber Chamber- lain grows rows out of or th the fact that chat men in cantonments haven't got rifles yet Biker Baker declared every man In a cantonment who ought to have a rifle has one I think youre you're wrong about that said Chamberlain General General General Gen eral Crozier testified that it would be February 15 before aUthe all aU the men had rifles And I 1 have letters to prove themen the themen men melt haven't all got t rifles today said Senator McKellar I Z dont don't want to stress the point said Baker I r think its it's relatively unimportant Baker declared criticism of the x s ordnance department for far Inefficiency Inefficiency Inefficiency was not justified It Isn't inefficient to get somethIng something some some- thing better than you ou started out to get The w war ar was not on us It w was as in fn Europe We Ve had time to tomake tomake tomake make the necessary changes to get geta a better rifle Meanwhile we hadon had hadon hadon on hand an adequate supply of modern rifles for all our troops You loo say the war was not on onus onus onus us broke in Senator Wadsworth It was on us to an extent that thau made it necessary to send men to France Fiance who had never fired a rifle Baker Balter declared there always are green gren men in new armies Reply Repty- ReplyIng ing to Senator Weeks Weeks' criticism that there was too much technicality calitr too little pep in getting I rifles Baker said Bald changes made Inthe In Inthe Inthe the rifle to get a better weapon is not a technicality Weeks said the I war department hasn't taken ad advantage advantage advantage ad- ad vantage of the full rifle making tasking capacity of the country even now CHANGE AMMUNITION We could make about 1 rifles a day said Weeks We Weare e eare are getting only I again call your OUr |