AMERICA.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 6969, 30 January 1918, Page 3

AMERICA.

VNITED STATES BIG WAR EFFORT.

Half-a-MilHon Troops in France Early This Year.

A.ustraliau and N Z Cable Assoc. liec Jan 20, Ham WaslnugtoD, Jau 28 Tbe Secretary fur War, Mr N. D. Baker, states that every mau in thirty-two army camps ;s ready to be seul to France. The United States, j,o added, will have halE-a-million troops iv Trance early in the year, while more than a million aud a-lialf are ready to sen-?. Addressing the fcsouate lie declared that tlio Military Committee purpose refuting the charges that the War Department had broken down. He did uot deny that mistakes and false starts had "been made. It was impossible to conduct a great enterprise Without shortcomings, but the errors had been ijuiekly rsctiiied. 'The War Department considered it better to send men to camp without rifles than to wait until the riiies were available. Despits the iect that many times the number of troops had been dispatched to France t-hau was expected, nob a man had gouo untrained or without a rifle France dc-ired American troops quickly, so had agreed to supply the biggest guns. "The Secretary for War, MrJJr.S r. D. Baker, in a communique points out that Germany is plat-mug the most powerful submarine campaign yet under taken against American transports. Many submarines have been recalled to home ports and are now refitting preparatory to the new

campaigu. Rec Jan 29, o p m Washington, Jan 28 ' Continuing his address to the Senate, Mr Baker said that shipping was the crux of the whole situation. The United States were using British aad French guns, because it was decided that more shipping would be thus available for the transport of American troops. The Allies had bought guns in France, where the factories were bigger than were the French requirements. America's January purchases were 620 75's from France. By next December America would be manufacturing 433 75's monthly. Whereas Britain in three years had ordered ordnance and shells from America totalling 1,308,000,000 dollars, the United States shell contracts for seven months would exceed 1,000,000,000 dollars. Mr Baker added that 60,000,000 shells had been' ordered for the'army abroad. He predicted the early cv- • trance of Americans in tho active fight-fog.