AMERICAN WAR EFFORTS PRODUCING RESULTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16761, 30 January 1918, Page 5

AMERICAN WAR EFFORTS PRODUCING RESULTS.

MILLION AND A-HALF MEN READY FOR FRANCE. PURCHASE OF GUNS AND SHELLS FROM THE ALLIES. * Australian and N.Z. Cab!# Association. WASHINGTON. Jan. 28. The Secretary for War, Mr. N. D. Baker, states that every man in 32 army camps is ready to be sent to France. The United States, he added, will have half-a-million troops in France early in the year, while more than a million and a-half are ready to send. Addressing the Senate, Mr. Baker declared that the Military Committee purposed refuting the charges that the War Department had broken d°wn. He did not deny that mistakes and false starts had been made. It was impossible to conduct a great enterprise without shortcomings, but the errors had been quickly rectified. The War Department considered it better to send men to camp without rifles than to wait until the rifles were available. Despite the fact that many times the number of troops had been despatched to France than was expected, not a man had gone untrained or without a rifle. France desired American troops quickly, so had agreed to supply the biggest guns. Continuing his address Mr. Baker said that shipping was the crux of the whole situation. The United States was using British and 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 seventyfives from France. By next December America would be manufacturing 433 seventy-fives monthly. Whereas Britain in three years had ordered ordnance and shells from America totalling £261,600,000, the United States shell contracts for seven months would exceed £200,000,000. Mr. Baker added that 60,000.000 shells had been ordered for the army abroad. He predicted the early entrance of Americans into active fighting. NEW YORK, Jan. 28. It is estimated that the 32 training camps mentioned by Mr. Baker the Secretary for War, represent 900,000 men. Figures published in Washington on November 7 showed that the United States army was then over< 1,800,000 strong, distributed as follows National (draft) army, 616,820; National Guard called into the Federal service, 469,000; regular army, 370,000; special branches, 200,000; reserves, 80,000; officers, 80,000; total, 1,815,820. The standing army at the time of the break with Germany consisted of only 120,000, with a National Guard behind it 'of 123,000. It was estimated then that America could put into the field only 80,000 really trained men. So soon as the United States became a belligerent, recruiting commenced for the regular army, and in four months it was brought to above the authorised strength of 300,000. At the same time recruiting proceeded for the National Guard, and when it wqs mobilised it was found to yield 350.000. This gave a strength in the two first lines of 650,000, and several divisions were sent to France. The next step was to establish officers' training camps, and many thousands of young Americans commenced training. Meanwhile a register was being prepared of men between the ages of 21 and 31, and it yielded a potential army of 9,600,000. These millions are now subject to selective ballot and tho first draft of 687,000 went into camp at the beginning of September for intensive training for four months. According to this arrangement the first draft was to follow the 650,000 men of the regular army and the National Guard to Franco ear'iv this year, and camps in America were then to be available for other drafts. The Secretary for War stated on January 10 that the troops in France were ready for active service. Arms and clothing were available to equip the whole of the 1918 army. *