Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-09-05
NAY PLY UPON THE PACIFIC.
Army Transports Going to West In.
dian Ports.

Quartermaster General Ludington is con-
sidering the expediency of making an i'm
portant change in the transport service be-
tween Atlantic ports and ports in Cuba and
Porto Rico. with a view mainly to a re-
duction of the expense of that service. To
that end. Colonel A. F. Kimball, assistan
quartermaster general Of the Department
of the East at New York. recently address
ed a circular letter to the several steam
ship lines plying between New York and
West Indian ports. requesting them to fur
nish estimates for the transportation of
troops. government employees and freight
that way to ascertain IL the regular steam
ship lines. such as the Ward, New York
and Porto Rico. the Munson and Red ID
line. could do the work of the transports
more cheaply than it Is now being per-
formed by the government. If this should
prove to be the case, 1t is proposed by the
Quartermasters department to utilize the
vessels OF the Atlantic transport fleet on
the route between San Francisco and the
Philippines. The necessity for increasing
the Pacific transport fleet lies in ne fact
that the government is compelled to bring
the entire volunteer army In the Philip
pines. numbering about $4,000 men, back
to the United States for discharge under
their terms Of enlistment before the Both of
June next.
Arrangements are now being perfected for
this extensive movement of troops Unless
present plans are changed by developments
in China the homeward movement of the
Philippine volunteers will begin about the
middle of November. and it is estimated
that the last of the troops will be landed
in this country by the 1st of June The
transports engaged in this service will also
take to the Philippines the remainder of
the regular troops which have been select
ed to take the places of the reca led vOlun-
teers. Owing to the reduced size Of the
army after July next. when all the volun-
teerS will have been discharged, 1t will be
impossible to continue the military represen'
tation in the Philippines on its present
basis beyond that date. The Philippine
army at present numbers about $1,000 men.
about equally divided between regulars and
volunteers. The present plan Is to main
tain that army at strength of 10000 men
for an indefinite period, until stable
civil government has been established in the
archipelago. Regular troops were being
sent to the Philippines In execution of this
plan of relieving the volunteers when the
Boxer trouble broke out in China, and
caused the diversion of many Of the troops
destined to the Philippines to service in
CHINA When those troops are no longer
needed in the celestial empire they will be
sent to their original destination.
Replies of Steamboat Companies.
Replies have been received from all of
the steamship companies addressed in re-
gard to the West Indian transport service,
and are now under consideration by the off,
GERS Of the quartermaster's department. 1t
is said that they are satisfactory or the
whole. and Indicate that the transport ser
vice between New York and the West
Indian ports can be transferred to the mer-
chant steamship lines at a considerable
saving to the government, and at the same
time permit the use Of the transports thus
relieved the Pacific ocean, where there
time. Whether the proposed change shall
be carried into effect will have to be de-
termned by the Secretary of War. but 1t Is
believed that he will be guided almost en-
tirely by the recommendation of the quar-
termaster general
The transports now plying between the
United States and the West Indies are the
Mcpherson. Mcclellan, Rawlins, Sedgwick
and Crook.