Fort Oglethorpe, Ga.-Commanding officer, Colonel Herbert J. Slocum.

Fort Benjamin Harrison, Ind.-Commanding officer, Major Alvan C. Read.

Fort Sheridan, Ill.-Commanding officer, Lieut. Col. James A. Ryan.

Fort Snelling, Minn.-Commanding officer, Colonel J. D. Leitch.

Leon Springs, Texas-Commanding officer, Lieut. Col. J. D. L. Hartman.

Presidio of San Francisco, Cal.-Commanding officer, Lieut. Col. F. W. Sladen.

The regular army organization camps are located at:

Chickamauga National Park, Ga.
Douglas, Ariz.

El Paso, Texas.

Fort Benjamin Harrison, Ind.

Fort D. A. Russell, Wyo.

Fort Douglas, Utah.

Fort Ethan Allen, Vt.

Fort Myer, Va.

Fort Riley, Kan.

Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

Fort Sill, Okla.

Fort Snelling, Minn.

Gettysburg National Park, Penn.

Presidio of San Francisco, Cal.

San Antonio, Texas, (Camp Wilson.) Vancouver Barracks, Wash.

MEDICAL OFFICERS' TRAINING CAMPS

Allentown, Penn., 150 students, (Ambulance Corps.)

Fort Benjamin Harrison, Ind., 1,200 students.

Fort Des Moines, Iowa, 75 students, (colored.)

Fort Oglethorpe, Ga., 1,300 students.
Fort Riley, Kan., 900 students.

Total approximate number attending, 3,625 students.

ENGINEER OFFICERS' TRAINING CAMPS

American University, Washington, D. C., 425 students.

Headquarters, Seattle, Wash.

PHILIPPINE DEPARTMENT.-Headquarters, Manila, P. I.; commander, Major Gen. Charles J. Bailey.

HAWAIIAN DEPARTMENT.-Headquarters, Honolulu, Hawaii; commander, Major Gen. Frederick S. Strong.

NAVY TRAINING CAMPS AND STATIONS

Philadelphia, (League Island;) Newport, R. I.; Cape May, N. J.; Charleston, S. C.; Pensacola, Fla.; Key West, Fla.; Mare Island, Cal.; Puget Sound, Wash., (Bremerton ;) Hingham, Mass.; Norfolk, Va.; New Orleans, La.; San Diego, Cal.; New York Navy Yard; Great Lakes, Ill.; Pelham, N. Y.; Hampton Roads, Va., and Gulfport, Miss., (Winter.)

MARINE CORPS TRAINING CAMPS Port Royal, S. C.; Mare Island, Cal., and Quantico, Va.

HE destruction of allied and neutral

THE

shipping since the war began in 1914 and the diversion by the Allies of an enormous amount of tonnage from normal trade channels had already, before the United States became a belligerent, forced this country to consider very seriously the problem of creating a mercantile marine of its own on a scale commensurate with its commerce. Ever since the civil war the United States has occupied a secondary position as a carrying nation. It has depended upon foreign ships for its ocean transportation, although for half a century efforts were repeatedly made to establish a mercantile marine.

The European war accentuated the problem. The Government was urged to take the matter in hand, and finally President Wilson secured the passing of legislation which authorized the appointment of a Shipping Board and the creation of a corporation to build ships. It was provided that the majority of the stock in this corporation should be held by the Government. Again there was delay, but our entry into the war hastened events, and on April 16, 1917, the Emergency Fleet Corporation was organized by the Shipping Board, and Major Gen. George W. Goethals, the engineer who built the Panama Canal, was appointed General Manager. Congress authorized the use of $50,000,000, and work was immediately begun to build a vast fleet of both steel and wooden ships to transport supplies to the Allies and thus frustrate the German submarine campaign. Contracts were awarded to various shipbuilding firms, and shipyards on both the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts began to hum with increased activity.

Seizure of German Shipping

The first warlike act of the United States on entering the war was to seize all the German merchant ships laid up in the ports of the United States and its insular possessions. As many of these

ships had been disabled by their crews, work was immediately begun to repair them. Early in June fourteen of the seized ships were assigned to the service of the Navy Department and renamed, while at the end of the same month President Wilson signed an executive order authorizing the Shipping Board to take " possession and title" of eightyseven of the German-owned ships, representing 500,000 tons. The board secured from the President the broadest powers to repair, equip, man, operate, lease, or charter the vessels in any service for the United States or in any commerce, foreign or coastwise. These ships were in various ports on the Atlantic and Pacific and in insular ports. The directions referring to them did not affect the fourteen ships which had been taken over by the Navy Department. The eighty-seven ships were specified by name in the President's executive order.

On July 27 Secretary Daniels announced that the American flag had that day been hoisted on the great German liner Vaterland. He also stated that fifteen other German ships had been taken over by the Government and the work of fitting them out for transport service would be rapidly pushed to completion. The work on all these ships was begun some time previously by contract under the Shipping Board. The Navy Department had now taken over this work under its direction. Repairs to the Vaterland, which has been renamed the Leviathan, cost slightly less than $1,000,000. The Leviathan is the largest merchant vessel in the world. Subsequently other German ships were placed under the American flag.

The seized German ships represent the beginnings of the new American mercantile marine. But more important additions are being made by purchase and construction. Thus, Austro-Hungarian ships have been acquired by purchase, since a state of war thus far does not exist between the United States and