Jasper County Democrat, Volume 22, Number 15, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 May 1919 — MARCH MAKES A STATEMENT [ARTICLE]

MARCH MAKES A STATEMENT

Ability to Land Force in U. S. Put Too High, Says War Dept. Washington, D. C., May 17.General March, chief of staff of the army, announced today that exp 3rience in troop transport during the war had shown that estimates made by the war depai tmont iu 1915, as to the possibility of a foreign nation landing troops in the United States were entirely too high. These estimates, General March said, included 387,000 men in 16 days by Germany; 404,000 by France in the same time; 180,000 by Austria and 238,000 by Japan. These were based on the basis of a transport making a round trip every 30 days, whereas experience proved that 35 days was required for even the very fastest of the transports and 70 days for cargo ships. General March announced that official records of the war department show that the 77th division made a larger advance against the enemy in the war against Germany than any other of the American divisions in France. The New York city national army men went forward a total of 71% kilometers (44.3 miles). The 2d (regular) division advanced a total of 60 kilometers arad the 42d (Rainbow) division 55 kilometers. Fourth in the list was the Ist (regulars) with 51 kilometers; the 89th (Kansas, Missouri, South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona), was fifth with 48 kilometers. These five divisions with the 3d (regular) division, which recorded an advance of 41 (kilometers, each carried t'he American line forward for more than 5% of the total advance made by all the forces of the United States. The official record of the other divisions as given by General March were: 80th, 38 kilometers; 26th, 37; 32d, 36; 33d, 36; 91st, 34; 37th, 30; 30th, 29%; sth, 29; 90th, 28%; 4th, 24%; 7th, 21; 36th, 21; 79th, 19%; 82d, 17; 35th, 12%; 27th, 11; 28th, 10; 92d, 8; 29th, 7; 81st, 5%, and 7th, 1. ' kamtab actual war expenditures totaled $23,363,000,000, General March said. Of this, $2,069,000,000 represented normal government expem and $21,294,000,000 represented extra war costs. Of this, $14,000,000,000 was spent by the army.