The Washington times., 1901-10-13

| 1212 cents per pound, whereas If delivered
| in New York on board the transport Nc
| Clellan. which has an ample cold storage
| plant, the meat could be had for "a
| cents per pound, a saving to the Subsist-
| ence Department Of over $1,000 on the beef
| used each month in Porto Rico, or ap-
| proximately s24. 600 a year"
| Lieut.. Col. Henry Lippincott, Assistant
| Surgeon General, states that thirty-nlne
| deaths occurred in the department dur
| ing the year.
Capt. Leroy S Lyon. acting signal of
| ficer recommends that all fortitfcations
comprising a fire command should be
connected by cable or other means. ThlS
work should be undertaken as soon as
the units Of a single command have been
definitely designated in each artillery DIS
| trict.
Lieut.. Col. ]. p. Story, artillery in
spector, makes highly important report
upon the future of our coast defences,
particularly as to the subject of subma-
rine mines and torpedoes.
He says: THE most important problem
now pressing upon the artillery is how
to provide a sufficient number of officers
and men qualified to operate the mining
defences of our harbors. 1t is admitted
that the present established strength of
the Coast Artillery will not furnish one
relief for the modern armament already
provided, and that in the event of war
the deficiency must be supplied by raw
recruits or by volunteer artillery. If war
were to occur with a superior naval pow
er, an immediate dash would no doubt be
made upon one or more of our most inn
portant ports. To oppose such an attack
We should have an instructed force of suf-
hclent strength to execute, in less than
one week after the declaration of war,
the approved project for the planting of
mines in all our harbors.
To operate these mines in the harbors
of the United States and of its distant
possessions will require about seventy Of
ficers and 200 soldiers. At the time of
the immediate planting an addition of
5000 men as laborerS and boat crews VIII
be temporarily needed. All officers en-
ployed on this work ought to be expert IN
electricity"
Colonel Story claims that discrimination
against the artillery has existed in the
army since the civil war.
THE enlisted strength of the artillery,
he saws exceeds one-fourth of the es-
tablished strength of the line of the army,
yet with six major generals and ntteeh
brigadier generals in the line of the army
there is only one-a brigadier general
who has been In the artillery, but al the
time of his appointment it was stated
in the daily press that his promotion was
due solely to his services in the volunteer
infantry, in other words, he is not TO De
credited to the artillery. Is it to be ac-
cepted that no service, however meritorl-
Gus, if confined to the artillery, shall be
rewarded by promotion TO the grade OF
general officer? This discrimination
against the artillery has existed in our
army ever since the end of the civil war
in 1865, and it VIII only be by united
effort on the part of artillery officers that
a change for the better can be effected.
1T is recognized that the present es-
tablished strength of the Coast Artillery
is not sufficient to furnish one relief for
the armament already provided. Tnis de-
ficiency in time of war can only be met
in two ways; one by increasing the en-
listed strength of the companies with re-
cfuits without previous instruction, or py
accepting into the United States service
volunteers organized in time of peace, as
the artillery will gladly welcome any Volun-
teer force which can come into the serV-
ice qualified for efficient work 1t Will be
admitted at once that the militia private
readily learns to serve the piece, which
simply involves intelligent manual labor
IF militia artillery are to he OF any
paying for by the United States; If they
are of no use, they ought not be counted
in our resources of military strength.
The following suggestion is offered.
Militia organizations or artillery snail go
into camp yearly for specified number
of days While in camp the officers and
men shall receive pay from the United
States. During the encampment soldiers
and officers shall be under the oil servation
and inspection of regular artillery officers
and upol the report OF these oihcers the
Secretary of War will decide II the organl-
cation shall be encamped the ensuing
year By this means the War Depart
ment will have sufficient record as to
the measure Of efficiency of these troops
1T is a military maxim that no army
can be efficient with aged officers in the
lower grades. January l, 1898, the author
lied strength of the artillery was $50 OFF,
GERS Four years later 1t will be 651 Off
GERS, an increase of 1872 per cent. The ed-
ditional 81 officers averaging about the
same age, will all be in the grade of lieu
tenant.
I'm January. 1898, there were lieutenants
of artillery of more than thirty years
service as officers, due partly to the de-
fective organization of the artillery, and
partly TO the large increase in the num-
Der of Junior officers in our army after
the civil war. A corresponding block In
promotion must be anticipated in our ar
tilIery unless some steps be taken by legis-
lation to provide relief by the compulsory
at fixed age OF an officer who
has not reached a definite grade.
1T is suggested that Ia our service a
lieutenant who reaches the age of forty
shall be retired, and a captain who
reaches the age of fifty-five"
Lieut. Col. James A. Pnchanan,. com
the Porto Rico i Provisional Reg
iment Of Infantry makes report upon
the canteen on the Island of Porto Rico, |
and Robert Giles, principal assistant en-
gineer, describes the work done on Porto |
Rican roads.