The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-11-27
LANNON'S REPORT.
gany Recommendations Made
for the Army.

| Washington, Nov. 26-In his annual
report, which was made public to-day,
| Secretary Lamont rencws his recommcn,
dation that the infantry be reorganized
on the general idea of three light aud
mobile battalions of four companies each
to the regiment, instead of the cumber.
some ten company formation adopted n
century ago, and abandoned by other ma
tions since the development of modern
magazine rifles, and he quotes Generals
! Sherman, Sheridan and Lieut. General
Schoiield in support of the necessity of
this reorganization of the infantry.
The completion already of some coast
defenses and the approaching completion
| of other modern batteries render neces-
sary larger force OF artillersts, but no
| other increase of the army is asked for
! The plan of seacOnst defense involves 100
| distinct batteries in over twenty harborc.
| The number of line officers serving with
their commands is larger than ut any
| time since the last war, and the Secrc-
tary expresses the belief that still fur.
| ther changes can BE made to advantage
| in this direction.
The report shows that according to the
statements of the prominent command
ers discipline of troops was never better
than now. The number of trials by gem
cral courtmartinl was about Is per cent
less during the past year than the year
before. In no previous year of the his
tory of the army has the health of the
troops been so satisfactory.
Under the new system established by
Secretary Lamont the army for the first
time has been paid monthly. Over Sl4, =
900, 600 was disbursed. The saving to
the Government by this system is about
So, 900 annually, and it appears to en-
courage economy among the men rs sol
Ilers. Deposits this year are over $780,
0u0 more than last year
Nv Under the new recruiting system S49S
men were enlisted last year, of whom
nearly one-half were secured at garrison
ed posts without expense. The post ex-
change, the general co operactive store.
maintained without expense to the Gov.
eminent ut nearly all mliitarys tations by
the enlisted men, in which are kept for
sale most of the commodities that are in
demand ut military posts, is now gener-
ally approved. The receipts last year
from all sources were more than one and
Il half million dollars, with Il net profit
of about $3.50, 900
The thirty-five army officers assigned
to duty with the national guard of the
States report steady improvement in the
militia. Investigation this year has
shown serious deficiencies in the arms
and equipments of this branch of the ser.
vice When the States furnish the ar
morics and defray all EXPENSE inciden-
tial to keeping their. forces in training.
Secretary Lamont suggests that the
United States should provide them with
the implements which they will need in
active scrvice-arms and field equipments
AS the supply on hand is totally made
quate for serious and prolonged field
operations.
The total number Of guns completed to
date since the first appropriation are
siNty-one S'inch iifty.siX 10-inch; TWEEN
ty.one 12inch, ana eighty mortars.
With the money already provided there
will be completed by June 80, 1897, sew.
enty.two S'inch guns; eighty.seven 10.
inch guns; forty Pinch guns, and
eighty eight l2-ilch mortars.
The estimates of the Department for
the next fiscal year aggregate $40, 49,, PCS
In closing this his last report, the Sec
rotary says:
have satisfaction in placing on rec
ord my high appreciation of the charac.
ter, ability and zeal of the officers of our
army and the general spirit of loyalty
and patriotic inspiration which pervade
the ranks. To these officers and men,
and to the heads of the departments in
the war Office, I'LL of whom have given
faithful support to the administration
OF this Department, make the acknow-
edgment which is their due
The secretary. recommends that the
Springfield rifle calibre 10 be issued 80
State troops, that the States be allowed
to return TO the War Department obso-
lete arms and equipments to be sold and
that the States be allowed to purchase
from the department supplies ut regula-
ton prices.
Fifteen regiments of regulars are on
duty east OF the Missouri and the
Meridian of Kansas City, twenty are
located in the plains and mountains be
tween the Missouri and the eastern
boundary of the Pacific States and five
are on the Pacific coast. There are sew
enty-seven military~~posts. The effective
field strength on October 81: 23,3S2
The report shows that whereas oil the
first OF July, 1893, of our modern de-
Tense but one high power. gun was
mounted, by the first of July next we
Will have in position seventy high power
brcech'l loading guns and nncty-five
brcech-loading mortars of modern de-
sign, and by the following July on COM
plet!on of work already under way or
provided for l2S guns and 153 mortars
battery of two or three of these guns
takes the place of the former prctentious
fort and is vastly more effective.
The defenses now under consideration
are distributed among the ports of Port
land, Me-. Portsmouth,, y. H., Boston,
Narragnnsctt Bay, eastern entrance to
Long Island Sound, eastern and southern
entrance to New York, Philadelphia Bal
timore, Washington, Hampton Roads
WILMINGTON, Charleston, Savannah, Key
west. Pensacola, Mobile New Orleans,
Galveston, san Diego san Francisco the
mouth of the Columbia river, and Puget
Sound. All of the emplacemcnts have
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