The age-herald., 1901-07-23
|GORBIN ID CAUSE RADICAL REFORMS
Cost of Maintaining Army on
 Islands Will be Reduced
CONFERENCE WITH CHAFFEE
Troops Will Be Concentrated at Three Points and All the Minor Posts Will Be Abandoned-One
 Big Hospital.

Manila. July %. = The conference be- tween Adjutant General corbin and Gem eral Chaffee, recently held here, will prob ably result in radical economical and ad- ministrative reforms in the army of occu- pation It Is estimated that the total cost of maintaining the American army In the Philippines can be reduced by 50 per cent in one year. The principal change will be the reduction of the present force of between 10000 and 5000 men. The abol- ishment of the present army districts is contemplated, and three brigades. with permanent headquarters at Manila, Dagu- pan and Iloilo or Cebu, will be instituted in their stead. The troops will be con centrated at three points selected, aban- doning all minor posts. The changes will result In an enormous saving in the transportation of supplies and the paying of rental for barracks for the soldiers. At present in most towns the troops are quartered in churches, convents and pub lie and private buildings, for the use of which considerable rentals are paid. In the majority of other cases, where the hAOoPo oO iAob oINhp5 RdpAI buAuih65s IT is believed rental should be paid for the soldiers quarters if their occupancy Is continued, since these regions are pacified and their inhabitants have sworn allegi- ance to the United States.
 Adjutant General corbin and General Chaffee have decided upon the construc- tion of barracks at the pumping station (about six miles from Manila, the present source of the city's water supply, to &C., commodate three regiments of infantry, one of cavalry and eight batteries of ar- tillery as well as a general commissary and quartermaster's storehouse, to cost s1 1000. .t4Iss,s.s
 Will Reduce Expenses.
 The erection of this building will re- duce expenses by $20,0Oo a month being the rentals paid for the commissary and auartermaster storehouse in Manila alone. An electric railroad connecting the docks on the Pasig river and the new storehouse will be constructed.
 Generals Corbin and Chaffee have also decided upon one single general military hospital to replace the seven military hospitals in Manila and vicinity; one of the latter buildings will be converted in- to hospital. The reduction of the great fleet of the government launches and small government steamers has already begun. Permanent barracks have been erected at Dagupan to accommodate all the troops necessary to northern Luzon.
 Government vessels will carry supplies for the southern. brigade from the United States to Iloilo without touching at Manila The insular constabulary is now being organized. It will be main tained by the insular government and is expected to be amply able to preserve peace and enforce the-law This con- stabulary will, as general rule, be armed with rifles. but It's members have been given 1000 sbotguns and 1000 ponies relinquished by the army.
 The telegraph system throughout the archipelago, established by the signal corpse, has been taken over by the civil government
 Much wheeled transportation. formerly belonging to the army, has already been disposed of
 The concentration of the troops at Da- gupan Iloilo or Cebu will begin at the close of the rainy season next November.
 As a further measure of economy ar engagements are being perfected to stop the buying by various civilians and civil government employees of commissary stores, heretofore sold them at the army rates.