The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1901-09-03
one HEAD
FOR ARMY
Plan to COnsOli.
date Offices
Here.

| Honolulu promises to cease to be a per
manent factor in the activities of the
American war office. Plans are now be
| ing considered at Washington by Secrc-
Itary Root, FOR the consolidation of all
the branches Of the public service here
under one head. the commander of the
post. This would mean that no stan
officer would be sent here to succeed
Major w. w. Robinson Jr., when that
officer leaves the depot quartermaster-
ship to go on to the Philippines. and tina [
, the hospital would become n post adden-
dum. and lose its rank as n general hos
pital.
new policy of the war office, which under
Secretary Root may be changed materi-
ally in the methods which have governed
| Tor the past quarter of n century.
| The press of business which has come
las "A result OF the military administrat on
/ of the Philippines and Porto Rico with
| the maintenance of the army I'm Cuba,
has proved almost too much for the Sec
rotary of War. That there must be so
many reports from the officers who are
on the stan. has been a burden which
he would very willingly throw upon
other shoulders by dividing the duties
| at headquarters, These changes would
mean a strengthening OF the line with a
corresponding dminution of the weight
of the STAFF. Could there be a general
reformation of the office force "a change
in the methods there would be not more
than one-third of the reports which are
new received in the office of the secre-
tary.
The general plan would be the CONSOLE
daton OF the bureaus or offices into. per-
haps, three. This would mean that what
is now the Office of the adjutant general
would he that of the general command
ing, with the adjutant and the inspector
general. In branches OF the service The
supply departments, such as the quarter
master, the commissary and the pay de-
par'mehts, would be in another depart
ment. and the technical or scientific bu-
rcaus, the engineers, the ordnance and
the signal corps. would constitute a third
The plan will not be put through with
out great opposition on the part OF the
starr OF the army, as 1t Ii now organized.
The contention of the stan Is that the
system Is one which has grown up with
the growth of the army, and IL the best
results of the thought OF the soldiers of
the Republic who have made the name
OF Its citizen soldlery famous 1t will
be contended that the United States ia
the only nation which fights it's battles
with n volunteer army and to place that
army In the field means that the stan
must be as strong as possible; that II
must be most highly organized In every
particular.
while the change would mean much to
the general officers, there would be here.
according to the present plan, a consoli-
dalton under the charge of the officer
In command of the post. The feeling at
Washington as regards Honolulu is that
this change would be desirable, even II
II would make 1t advisable that an off,
Ger of higher rank should he sent here I'm
command of the troops. There is now
on the way an order from General Lud-
ington for the transfer of Major Rob
inson to Manila for staff duty. 1t is pos
sible that Major Taylor surgeon I'm
charge of the hospital, would be trans
terred as well, if the change IL made.