I'

Police

F every policeman in New York City once every three years caused one good recruit to join some regiment in the Second Corps Area the question of replacements would be solved for all organizations.

If every policeman in New York City once a year caused one good man to join the Army, there would be no need for maintaining a recruiting service in the Second Corps Area because all quotas of the Adjutant General as well as the needs of local organizations would be filled.

There are over 13,000 active and 500 reserve police in New York City and it is estimated that each daily comes in contact with at least one man temporarily out of employment, who would make a good soldier.

The Second Corps Area at its best normally enlists only about 11,000 recruits annually for assignment in and

outside of the Corps Area. The normal annual needs for replacements within the corps area are about 5,000 recruits.

The Commissioner of Police of New York City, Richard E. Enright, is a Colonel, M. P., Reserves, and many of his assistants also hold reserve commissions in various branches of the Army. All of these able civil servants are deeply interested in the Army and the War Department's needs in peace as well as in war. None of them ever recommends an undesirable man for service in our National forces, notwithstanding the fact that there are many such persons whom the city would be glad to be rid of.

Commissioner Enright takes the view that an idle man on the streets may eventually become a police problem. He therefore desires that his patrolmen interest themselves in all agencies that offer employment to the idle. What could be more natural than that the police select from

among the unemployed the most likely young men and recommend that they apply to our Recruiting Sergeants for a tour of duty in the Army to tide them over a period when there is no great demand for labor?

These young men eventually return to New York in far better condition than when they left. They are disciplined men with an honorable discharge that commands respect from those who employ help. They have usually acquired skill in a new trade. They are always in fine physical condition, mentally alert and better citizens. Civil jobs await young men of this type. There is little danger of their ever becoming police problems.

This is one reason why the Second Corps Area and the New York Police Department cooperate so closely. We aid each other in solving city and Army problems.

C

ONGRESS, according to the New York Sun, has authorized the restoration of old Fort Vancouver, near Vancouver in Washington State, as a contribution to the centennial celebration of the founding of this historic structure in the spring of 1825. The old fort marked the site of the first permanent white settlement in theesent States of Washington and Oregon, and it was for many years the most important outpost of civilization in the Northwest. In its restoration the Northwest had shown much interest, and this is shared by the people of other parts of the country who are seeking the preservation of other historic structures of pioneer defense.

Four years ago, when Congress proposed that many of the old forts along the Maine coast should be sold, Maine immediately began planning their purchase. In the last two years the State has bought eight of the old fortifications and has converted them into public parks and playgrounds. Historic and civic associations in New York have been making a strong effort, which it now appears will be successful, to save to the city the site of Revolutionary fortifications on Washington Heights which were constructed under the supervision of General Washington and Alexander Hamilton, and which formed one of the earliest defenses of the city against the British forces.

Kentucky has undertaken to restore the old fort at Harrodsburg, one of the pioneer stockaded strongholds of the Dark

and Bloody Ground. A bill was introduced last month in the Colorado Legislature for the restoration of the fort at Conejos county, one of the white man's famous defenses in the eastern foothills of the Rocky Mountins, which was named in honor of its builder, Lieutenant Zebulon M. Pike, the discoverer of Pike's Peak.

Lieutenant Pike built this fort, or stockade, in 1807, to serve as a base or supply station for his expedition while he was seeking the headwaters of the Arkansas and Red Rivers. After his work had been finished and he had made the first authoritative report on the region he abandoned the fort. The stronghold was lost for years and was only recently discovered. Colorado intends to convert the site of the old defense into a State park and to erect on it a memorial to Pike. This old fort thus fares much better than many other Western posts that figured in frontier life and Indian warfare.

Fort Gibson in Oklahoma, which was established early in the last century, is marked today only by crumbling walls, although it was for many years the most famous of Western posts. General Grant was an officer at this post, Henry M. Stanley taught the post children and Washington Irving stopped here to write part of "A Tour of the Prairies." Zachary Taylor was a commandant of the post and there Jefferson Davis, while a young lieutenant, met and married General Tay

lor's daughter. Fort Reno and Fort Arbuckle in the same State, both famous in the records of Indian warfare, are preserved in name only. Fort Sill, near Lawton, Oklahoma, has won a new lease of life by becoming one of the great artillery posts of the Army.

Of the forts that played such an important part in the Indian wars of Kansas and Nebraska there survive only Leavenworth and Riley. Hays, Dodge and Niobrara have passed. Few are left of the northern posts which were bases and refuges in the wars with the Sioux and their allies. The fame of Fort Grant, Fort Apache, Fort Brown, in Texas and the Southwest, are preserved only in name. Other posts which are more remote from modern lines of travel have fallen to the farmer and the rancher. Nobody has cared even to mark their sites and their ruins have in many cases been mercifully" hidden by the lush grass of the prairies.

Washington State in restoring Vancouver, Kentucky and Colorado in preserving their early defenses and Maine in saving her old coast fortifications have dedicated to the nation spots that will always be of historic interest. There is a wealth of national lore in the memories of Vancouver and Harrod's Fort, and in the walls of old Fort St. George at the mouth of St. George's River, Fort Knox on the Penobscot, the blockhouse at Fort Edgecomb and the works at Portsmouth and Kittery.

C

AN the Regular Army Recruiting Service be of assistance to the National Guard? Last fall, at a meeting of the adjutants general of the Ninth Corps Area this question was discussed. As a result, the Corps Area Recruiting Officer issued a letter of instruction which stated in part as follows:

"The National Guard is part of the Army of the United States, and it is the duty of the Recruiting Service to assist it in obtaining recruits whenever its officers desire."

This wholesome expression respecting the duty of the Recruiting Service to assist the work of our comrades in the National Guard presented new problems to the recruiting officers of the corps area. First, should the recruiting officers wait for the National Guard officers to request assistance? Second, how could the Recruiting Service really aid the National Guard in obtaining recruits?

To wait for the National Guard to request assistance meant that it in all probability never would request assistance. The National Guard officers in asking assistance would have to state just what assist ance they required. In short, to wait for the National Guard to ask for help would be a very effective way to "pass the buck," a poor substitute for action on the part of a Regular Army officer.

How the "One Army Spirit" is Fostered in Los Angeles Through Cooperation of Two Services

listened patiently to my expression of ideas and finally decided to accept our help. He and his officers have effectively cooperated with us. To date the results have been very satisfactory.

tion and favorable comment of the more substantial element of the citizenry.

Twenty "A" boards were prepared by the Recruiting Service. These were painted an attractive green with yellow border. For posters the "Let's Go" doughboy was used. Printed strips to show the name of the regiment, its number and station, and the location of recruiting places were provided by the National Guard. These "A" boards were

The Los Angeles Recruiting Station decided, therefore, to reverse the action. It went to the National Guard, not with an offer to give assistance whenever the officers of the Guard requested such, but with a plea to permit the Recruiting Service to develop some plan by which the Regular Recruiting Service could help in obtaining recruits for our brother service, and thereby remove some of the burden from the shoulders of the National Guard company commanders.

The commanding officer of the National Guard troops stationed in Los Angeles, Colonel Walter P. Story, 160th Infantry, received me with much courtesy. He

Williams

The second problem, how the Recruiting Service could really assist the National Guard to obtain recruits, was solved by following the principles for successful recruiting for the Regular Army, namely, publicity and personal contact with prospective recruits.

It was decided that publicity for the National Guard should be twofold in character. First, there ought to be the same sort of publicity as is used for the Regular Army, such as "A" boards, window cards, etc. Second, there would have to be wide publicity of a character to attract the attention of everybody in the community, and to excite the admira

placed at prominent places in the city. The Regular Recruiting Service maintains these boards and keeps them neat and attractive at all times.

Window-cards were prepared in the multigraph room of the Recruiting Station. The cut, "The Army Builds Men," was used as a center piece. The copy on the cards was furnished by the company commanders; each company uses different copy. The National Guard officers distribute the cards as they will.

The Regular Recruiting Service has no funds to meet the expense of this class of publicity. The cost, however, is nominal, merely the price of the paper and ink, and this the National Guard pays. The labor, printing, etc., are done by the Regular recruiting force. The National Guard officers are encouraged to make liberal use of this service.

The value of this kind of publicity is that it keeps the National Guard constantly advertised. In a city such as Los Angeles thousands of people read the data on the "A" boards and window-cards every day. Thus, instead of hearing something about the National Guard once a year at the time of the camp of instruction, the people become familiar with the name and number of the regiment in their community, its location, its work, and its part in the scheme of National Defense. It creates conversation and develops interest in the National Guard. There is no question about the value of such publicity.

The problem of creating wide publicity (Continued on Page Eleven)

T has been my observation in studying recruiting problems that too much thought cannot be given to the "A" board situation.

This is indeed the day of intensive advertising and no matter how much merit there may be in an article for sale the demand therefore will be directly proportional to the amount of effort expended in attractively presenting it to the public, either in the press, on the bill board or in the show case.

It has gotten so now that show case and window displays have become an integral part of the retail game and this activity is often a determining factor in the success or failure of a business. "Window shopping" is a practice common to all and the more alluring the "bait" the greater will be the number of "fish" in the creel when the day's books are balanced.

How often do you go into a shoe store to make a purchase without first seeing the style of shoe you want in the window? The same is true, in general, of every article we buy whether it be a hat or a box of candy to take home.

Show case and window dressing in recent years has become an art and many of those engaged in the profession are high-salaried artists.

Did you ever stop to consider seriously what a wonderful potential advertising medium we have in our "A" boards? Did it ever occur to you that the Federal Government is being granted a most exceptional concession by the several city governments in that we are generally permitted to locate our display boards at random-given unrestricted liberty to cover the "high spots" as it were? Are we taking full advantage of the exceptional advertising facilities at our disposal? What wouldn't commercial firms give for the same privilege-and yet how many of us take it as a matter of course!

If you will pardon personal reference I would like to relate here an incident that occurred in Buffalo only last week as illustrative of the public spirited attitude of the city officials in regard to street advertising. For some time past I have had my eye on a most strategic "high spot" for the location of an "A" board in the very heart of the business district, but hesitated to take the step without special permission from the "man behind," fearing that such action might savor of presumption on my part. In order to be on the safe side I called upon the Mayor and stated my case. He handed me his card with the remark:

"Major, this card will entitle you to do anything you want in this city except to commit murder. Put your signs anywhere you want to." With backing such as this

Stock Posters Used in Construction

of Original Layouts According to Model Designs

I may be pardoned for waxing enthusiastic over the treatment accorded.

Returning to the subject-we have at our disposal, then, two classes of show cases, one stationary and the other walking. It is with the former that I want to deal in this article as the latter is worthy of special thought and consideration.

What are we doing to improve the attractiveness of "A" board displays?

Anchor Mounting for "A" Board

Do we believe in their efficacy or do we look upon the work involved as a necessary evil?

It is comparatively an easy matter to paste on some stock posters as a mere matter of rote and without giving further thought to the activity other than to see to it that frequent inspections are made to insure neatness. But in pursuing this course are we taking full advantage of the possibilities open to us? That is a question that each commander must decide for himself and it is not my intention to foist my ideas on anyone. Personally I court suggestion and I can consistently say that the Recruiting News, as well as other recruiting publications, have been a wonderful help to me in solving many of the problems with which we are daily confronted in this most interesting service.

It isn't every man who is qualified to design attractive displays for "A" boards, as it involves an inherent ability for creative art. In this district the displays at

sub-stations have in the main been pitiful attempts and although the commanders have done their best the fact remains that in most cases the results have not been at all satisfactory. Constant "nagging" is not conducive to morale and recourse to such methods is of doubtful value.

The problems had to be met and conquered and with this idea in view much thought has been devoted during the past six months as to just how to proceed. It was finally decided to adopt the following system:

(a) To prepare carefully two classes of "A" board displays, one to be called standard and the other special.

The standard class was to comprise specially designed displays for each of the following: Infantry, Cavalry, Engineers, Signal Corps, Field Artillery, Coast Artillery, Air Service, Panama, Hawaii, and the Philippines.

The special class was to comprise a number of displays advertising specific organizations for which we are authorized to recruit, also such special subjects as Travel, Opportunities for Learning a Trade, General Recruiting Information,

etc.

(b) To make up a number of complete sets of photographs from the two classes indicated and to furnish each station with a reference set in album form.

(c) To require each station to model its displays in accordance with the authorized photographs furnished for the purpose, allowing, of course, reasonable deviations therefrom in order that initiative might not be curtailed along these lines.

By employing this method we not only obtain a certain degree of uniformity throughout the district but at the same time are assured of a more efficient and effective advertising medium. Whereas much thought has been devoted to producing the original displays it is comparatively an easy matter to refer to the standard photographs and make up what is wanted directly from them, "a short cut to knowledge," as it were.

It should be understood that the standard displays are in the nature of a mosaic, a potpourri so to speak, of a number of regularly issued posters, hand bills, and the like, all of which are normally on hand at each station. This feature, of course, is essential to the proper carrying out of the scheme.

In order to give a better idea of the nature of the displays a few illustrations are shown on the opposite page. There are about twenty-five sample photographs in each album although the possibilities along these lines are naturally unlimited. The Buffalo office will be glad indeed to (Continued on Page Fifteen)