Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1896-12-03
UNCLE SANS ARNY.
The Secretary of War Makes His
Annual Report
4 DECREASE IN The DESER7IoyS,


ior tue WIT
Aggregated sol'sos'ssS'
w.su,seroN Nov. 97-In his annual
-. ..h;'.h was made nublic vester.
.epo s.s.,.srr r.mont r.uews his pre-.
10y .,;.ns racommanda,ion that the in.
s..,su NO reorraniyed on the general
: : >, ,hras l;rhtnnd mobile buttal.
49, :. ,onr comnanies each to the reri-
,uaa install Of the cumbersome ten
aon,r.nv formation adopted century
oo" .hananrsa hv other nations
~. ,hs asvslonment Of modern maya.
,;re r,Ass The completion already of
Some coas, defepses and the approach.
,nr omrlation Of other modern bal.
. as rsrder necessary larger force
~ art;,lsrists. but no other increase in
,hs armv Ia asked for. The report
show, that. according to the state.
wants ~ dsnartmeut commanders, the
s;sa;n,;no 81 the troops was never bet
,ar ,han now The number of trials
w. .arsral court.mar,ial was about
~, s,s, osr, lass during the past year
than tha wear before.
undar the nav recruiting system.
400 u,.r ,ora enlisted Inst wear, OF
,'hon, nsar,v one.half we're secured at
.risonsd hosts without expense. De.
ssr,;ons in the army is decreasing.
nas..t.rs in lsss numbered 3,57s; In
,soa onlv es9 and last wear, 1, 365.
Ths armv consists OF %. 4es officers
"a ..on ~ os4 below the legal maxi.
'n,,. Ths effective field strength on
na.oh.r a, was "a ana
es 1,hs renort shows that, whereas on
.ha lst ~ Julv 1893 of our modern
aat.rse Int one hirh power gun was
~....,.a hv tha lst of July. next, we
...;,, Sar. a. rosi,ion 10 high power
- w. Ioaa,nc Guns md 95 breech.
loading mortars OF modern design, and
,oaa,np . n'u,.aa - l"ly On completion
ny ''i' io' , :, raa. nav ~ provided
u "o ,as a.' "a ,ha mortars
'o m. l"o o.,;,natas ~ the department fol
! l"o e.' aa"a, rsor aocregate $40 4ss.
s sne ''e ,H;. h'' .h;s onnronriation. pro
quo. wiz" wv, ,ana n he made for: On,
sis'on wa. .ns s,v,r.,brae bicb MOVIE,
nonureu ""a a.a s 100 r.nid fire. pur
: gun o"P''.e 90 ,,or,nr smp,oce
: ,nap,s sss bivh mower steel guns, 0
r.nid Are puns 200 l2.inch mortars, Is
10 and l2.nch gun carriages, ant
: ooo 70 inch mortar carriages The ~
= r .aa man, ~ Rooms with the new maya
.,na AIMS was COMPLETED in May, an
= tha armorv il turning out l95 rifles o
Q an hines ner day under tho appropria
v t,nr made Inst vear. All the ammun
ZION Tor small arms now made is SUI
rliea with smoleless powder Of Amer
pan monufacture and of satisfactor
quality.
se rbs secretary SAYS the Mississippi
river commission has decided to di
I'd oon,,nue the plan to improve the riv'
VI by bank protection and to adopt II
"a Man Of dredging channels in shot
p,aces and maintaining, with state an
f Iocal cooperation, an effective lew
os svstem, With this change Of polio
the minority believe the function
the commission is ended and the wol
Il should be turned over to the secretal
of war
p The secretary says that but lit
70. change has occurred in the water lie
er els Of the great lakes during the pa
wear from corresponding levels OF lss
ia and adds that as no water has yet be-
u drawn for use in the Chicago DRAMA
" .a", ,o trr,ber facts can be given
,r. eaa ~ Nv ,.ohah,a ogoc, Of abstractiI