The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-30
REDUCING THE NUMBER.
The State Appropriation In
adequate to Maintain
Them All.
COLONEL BARRY RESIGNS
The Third Regiment Now Reduced
to the Standing of
Battalion.

SACRAMENTO, CAL, June 29.-The
Board of Location of the National Guard,
consisting of Governor Budd, Adjutant-
General Barrett and Major-General Di-
mond, was in session all to-day deciding
on what companies to muster out, SO as to
come within the appropriation by the last
Legislature for the support of the COM
panies of the National Guard.
1t was decided to disband Company c of
the Third Infantry, Company H of the
First and the cavalry troop, all of which
are located at San Francisco; also Com
pany B of the Second Infantry at Vallejo
and Company B battalion. located at
Arcata, Humboldt County.
The disbanding of Company c of the
Third Regiment reduced the latter to the
standing of battalion and necessitated
the acceptance of the resignation of
Colonel Barry, which has been received by
the commandments and upon which
he has as yet taken no action. It will also
probably be decided to merge ten more
companies into others for the purpose of
reducing the expenditures for armory
rents, thus enabling the National Guard to
be equipped and conducted within the
bounds of the 100000 appropriation set
aside for its maintenance.
The action of the board in deciding upon
which companies should be dispensed with
has not been a hasty one, but has been
done after mature deliberation and strict
investigation into their standing and util-
ity and their location with reference to
military needs, with means of concentra-
ton.
This board is yet unable to fix upon the
ten companies which will be without doubt
N erged into others.
The board has also decided that it will
be advisable to establish troop of cavalry
in this city, and the probability is that the
light artillery, unattached, OF Sacramento
will be merged into this troop. 1t has also
been decided to retain the signal corps OF
the Third Brigade at Sacramento, and in.
crease its number from eleven to forty
men. The present corps, which is com.
manded by Lieutenant Martin, has fully
proven its efficiency and enthusiasm, and
is only handicapped by lack of numbers
The reduction of companies will not
necessarily mean numerical reduction in
the ranks" said Governor Budd this even
ing when questioned upon the matter.
"AlI these men have their clothing and
CQu4p etIus IL llcg dIc SOlQleIS, Will
readily merge themselves into other COM
panies; nor do care to criticize the stand
ing of any of the disbanded companies.
The new law governing the National
Guard absolutely restricts the number OF
companies to not to exceed sixty-nine,
but the appropriation is not suf-
ficient to properly equip and provide
for such a number, and 1 believe
that concentration Is advisable, and that
within a brief period the National Guard
of California will vie in point of efficiency
with that of any State in the Union and
become the pride of the State. If it does
not it will not be from lack of ability on
the part of the militiamen, for they possess
fully as many of those attributes that go to
make up a soldier as does the material
comprising the standing army OF the
Nation.
1.-The efficiency of the National Guard is
pet hobby of mine, and we will endeavor
to fit them with an equipment and arm
them in a manner that will make them
efficient in time of need"