Evening star., 1901-12-21
Officers Of Local Brigade to Call al
the White House.
SEMI I-ANNUAL PAYMENTS BY CHECK
Hardness in Making Reports De-
lays Bestowa| Of Decorations.
RIFLE WORK IN NEW YORK

As is customary. the commanding general
and the officers of the general staff, District
of Columbia militia, will call at the White
House the 1st of January to pay their re-
spects to the President Of the United
States. The same day the brigade and
other rifle teams that won glory and prizes
in connection with the recent Sea Girt COM
petitions will assemble to be photographed.
1t Is likely that the general staff will also
have a picture taken the 1st of January.
Battalion and separate organization COM
manders of the District National Guard
have been requested to forward their
quarterly returns for December 81 SO that
the same will reach headquarters as soon
after the 1st Of January as possible. This
is desired in order that Colonel Mosher may
be enabled to promptly furnish the War
Department with certain information that
has been called for relative to the local
brigade.
Several organizations have not yet made
application al headquarters for pay rolls
in connection with the pay Of troops for
the six months ending the 31st instant.
Captain Andrew Parker, acting paymaster
general, Is to request authority to make
the next semi-annual payment by check
to each Individual entitled to compensation
for services.
S. Porter House. formerly captain of
Company A, has received his commission
as major of the 1st Battalion. Private
Charles r. Siegel has been recommended
for commission as second lieutenant of
Company c, 9Th Battalion; Lieutenant
Gunior grade) J. A. Dempf, as lieutenant
and Ensign George A Berry, as lieutenant
Gunior grade), I'd Division, Naval Battal-
ion.
board of Survey.
A board Of survey consisting Of Captain
rd al Id ~ of
Columbia militia; Captain Andrew Parker,
aid-de-camp, District of Columbia militia
and First Lieutenant Roy B. Hayes, En-
gineer Corps, has been appointed to meet
at the quarters of the signal corps at 8
o'clock pm the 27th instant. The board
is instructed to fix the responsibility for
the alleged loss of certain ordnance and
ordnance stores for which First Lieutenan
William Niemeyer. Signal Corps, is ac-
countable.
The Engineer Corps has been assigned
to the 9th Battalion for small arms prac-
tice.
The inspector general Of rifle practice an
nounces that the delay in distributing rifle
practice decorations for the past season is
due to tardiness on the part Of a few or
ganization commanders in submitting their
reports.
By reason Of removal from the District
Of Columbia, Privates James G. Alexander
and Charles A. Payne. both Of Company D,
nOnOr-
ably discharged.
Privates Isaiah Betters, William Butler
and Samuel Reynolds, all of Company D,
1st Separate Battalion, have been dis
charged in the interest Of the service
Marksmanship In New York.
OF interest to those District National
Guardsmen who pay particular attention to
target work is the report Of the inspector
Of small arms practice of the National
Guard Of the state of New York. This re-
port shows that during the rifle practice
season just ended 9,S3S officers and men
passed the test, and proved that they had
some ability with small arms. OF these
1888 S147 qualified as narksmen. making
80 out of a possible 80 points at the short
ranges, the officers with revolvers, the men
with carbines and rifles: $50 qualified as
SharpShooters, using rifles at 500 and f00
yards, and 322 qualified as experts. using
rifles at 100 and 800 yards.
These figures are apparently encourage
ing; but it Is said that a comparison he
tween them and those Of last year will
show a decided decrease In every grade of
ri1emen, a result which should not be
pleasing.
The loss includes So experts "a sharp-
shooters and ia marksmen, and is very
general throughout the state, but Is notice.
able especially in the brigades stationed in
New York city. During the summer an
order from the governor stripped the Ave
brigades of the state of all the cavalry.
artillery and signal corps that belonged to
them, attaching all the organizations Of
these arms to the headquarters of the
guard, and combined the 1st and 9th Bri-
gades, both in Manhattan. into a new lst
Brigade. Comparison of the work this year
OF any brigade as a whole with that per-
formed last year Is therefore not possible:
L htf ha vor fto ~