AMERICA'S ARMY IN THE MAKING.

Taranaki Daily News, 31 December 1917, Page 3

AMERICA'S ARMY IN THE MAKING.

(By Charles W. Duke). Almost everywhere you turn in this great United' States of America at the present moment you run into military camps wherein the boys of our homes are getting ready to go "over there." Then; is not a state in the whole Union nor a colonial possession in either the Atlantic or the Pacific that hasn't its camps. They run from Plattsburg to Oglethorpe and from Fort Meyer to tho Presidio in California. A nation that only five months ago was startled out of its lethargy hy a declaration of war on that April morning just shortly liefore the anniversary of Lexington and Concord finds itself to-day converted into an armed camp, the like of which the country has never known. "Where do wc go from here, boys, Where do we go from, here." In the camps and the barracks ,out on the country roads, where long columns of khaki-clad youths swing along on hikes, on the ships that ride in our harbors—they are singing it everywhere. September (brings us into the month when the young men not already in service—the boys who are to compose the new national army—are, turning their faces from civilian life toward the huge cantonments that have been building during tbe summer months. In five' months the nation has "gone in" on a scale never before attempted in the history of the country. October I will find move than a million, and a-half men either in actual service or training for Uncle Sam's army and navy. Close to a million had been enlisted two weeks ago. according to tho latest official count at Washington. When to them is added the (187,000 who are to come up from the selective draft—they who now discard mufti for khaki, and lay aside the pen, the plough, the overalls to take up the rifle and bayonet —the total will be well over a million, and a-half. Never before has the United States rallied so many men to the. Stars and Stripes for military service in such a short space of time. The number now in service or training, including the new national army, is more than half the total number of men called into service during the four years of the civil war. The total armed forces employed by the confederacy was 750.000.. Tii the revolution we 'had 300,000 fighting men engaged. Our second war with Great Britain brought out altogether on land and sea a little more than half a million men. In the war with Spain, of recent memory, "we sent 275,000 nren into the ■service of tlieir country, of whom but>, 00.000 saw actual service. The men now under arms and about to go into camps represent but 1% per cent, of a population of 100,000,000. Its] has been said by many experts at home., and albroad that Germany will not be conquered until we have sent 2,000,000' troops to France, -exclusive of our naval'' 'forces. Provided to do not send several million troops abroad, it is evident that we would then be furnishing but a small portion of the, man power that the nation could demand in an extremity. 'Military leaders—our War College—have figured that at any one time this country rould command 10.000,000 men of military age, and that thereafter there-would be a million men coming into the military- age every year. It would take anynation or nations a long, long time towhip us int-J submission by wiping out our man power.

At this moment when tlifi nation settles firmly into its stride of'mobilisation it is interesting to note the strcngh of | the various branches and the total of Imc-n enlisted in caclft Onr regular army, according to tlie latest Washington census, contains WOO officers and 2!)S.9flfi ii en. The National Guard has been recruited t 0 300,000 men and 11,000 officers. In the army reserve corps are 10,500 officers and 55',45" men. The training camps for reserve officers have turned out 27,341 officers, who will help train the new national army and take their places in the ranks as leaders. The total land forces are 55,541 officers and 854,483 men'. The enlisted strength of the nan- is hc-spit.il corps, regular navy, C 000; hospital corps, naval reserves, 400; marine 138.500: naval reserves. 35,000: naval militia in federal service, 11,000; hospital corns, officers and men, 33,11"; approximate number of navjl officers, 223,11" and the combined land and sea forces 9-13,141. I

Probably the most striking .feature in a study of these statistics is the I number of men who have voluntarily enlisted since the United States declared a state of war with Germany back in April. The Tegular army at that time was composed of 100,000 men. In five months it lias been tripled through purely voliuiI tary methods in competition with ail the other branches of service. The National Guard has been almost. double;! in the same time, but has still 'RIO.OOO to «ro to make the 400,000 war strength fixed by the War. Department. The department lias announced that- it will draw on the draft to fill out the National Guard's quota, provided the war strength has not been reached by the time the new national army is ready for service. The nnvy has kept swift pace with the army. More than 73,000 men—almost as many men as President M'Kitiloy asked for in the call for volunteer* in IS9S—have flocked to the navy alone rince .April. The marine corps increased its personnel by 16,734 additional recruits. .The naval reserves recruited. 25.000 men in the same time, the hospital corps 4400 men and the. national volunteers 1500 men. Furthermore, the Government's tabulations show that America entered the war 1,300,000 mem, have volunteered for service. The rejections among volunteers for a variety, -if causes, including phvsTwl unfitness,.. the men with dependants who were out of the ranks of the National Guard' when it was nationalised, and various other causes, total more than 350--000.

Preparations for the training- of y tho new army have entailed one of tire moat | fiiaantic jobs ever undcrlakon *iy Uncle. Sam. The phase of the nK&ilisation isw; "heduletf to begin this week. The 'first '200.000 men are to so into-camp between. September -> and la. Behyeen September 0 and ]>l (.he second I'OG.OOft are to get' under way. The third and final movement is to besjin during ■tihe-first week in' October. " -