New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-06-01
ARMY REDUCED AGAIN.
PRESIDENTS ORDER WILL
SAVE SO. 100000 A YEAR.
MAXIMUM STRENGTH CUT DOWN FROM
1927 TO &c. 497 MEN-ONE-THIRD
IN THE PHILIPPINES.
rBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE


Washington May 31.-By the Presidents
| der a swearing reduction in the strength of the
| army was made to-day. the withdrawal from
| Cuba and improved conditions in the Philip
| pines making it possible to dispense with ten
| thousand enlisted men. at annual saving of
| SO 600 for pay. clothing. food. transporta-
ton and minor expenses. To-day's order hxes
the maximum strength of the army at 66,49i.
replacing the limit of a 2S7 fixed by President
Mckinley in May os last year, under the elastic
provisions of the Army Reorganization law OF
February p 1901. establishing the three battai-
ion formation and fixing permanently the num-
her Of commissioned officers and commands by
this system the organizations constituting the
service may be skeletoni2ed in times or peace'
and by the addition of recruits in time OF war
may be expanded indefinitely without sacrihc-
ing efficiency. The maximum enlisted strength
under the law was eighty eight thousand, and
Of this number eleven thousand were cut OF
last year and nearly ten thousand to-day
To-day's change consists solely in uniformly
reducing the number of enlisted men IN the
infantry companies, cavalry troops ana mel"
artillery batteries the coast artillery, engineers
and staff departments remaining unchanged
The number of enlisted men in each OF the
twelve troops of the fifteen cavalry regiments
will hereafter be seventy-f1ve instead or eishtS-
five, thus cutting the total GOWN 10 Hiie nun
dred troopers The twenty-five light batteries
and three mountain batteries Of field artillery
are each reduced from 100 men to 100. making
total OF $3.50 IN the organization against
I 500 heretofore. The two siege batteries OF 10
men each under field artillery. are unchanged
In the infantry arm each Of the twelve COM
panes Of the thirty regiments will hereafter
have ffty-seven instead of eghty-one privates.
the company enlisted strength falling from io4
10 So and the maximum Of each regiment VIII
be $50 instead of 1,24S
An addition is provided of 40 men for the
cavalry and infantry details on detached duty
at the War College, Fort Leave'.worth. Kan
and the legation guard at Picking. CHINA. IN
Guiding this addition. the total Of enlisted men
in the line of the army will hereafter be TO. IA,
OF which IA ,0f0 Will be cavalrymen, 1i.t4Z arti-
lerymen, % $50 infantrymen and 12S2 engi-
neers. The staff departments. signal corps.
ordnance, etc. continue as formerly. =. io3 men
The enlisted strength of the army to-day is
just about 10000 men. and they are being dis
charged by reason of expiration of enlistment
and other causes at the rate Of 2.5Oo month
It is contemplated that the maximum set
to-day by the President will be reached in the
course of three months by the simple expedient
Of partly closing the recruiting stations, 1t will
be the plan OF the War Department hereafter TO
divide the army. provided in the order issued
to-day. into thirds having one-third OF the
entire establishment in the Philippines at all
times. and the remaining two-thirds In the
United States and elsewhere. by this plan
enlisted man taking six years Z basis would
serve four years In the United States proper. or
in Hawaii or Alaska to every two years served
in the Philippines.