Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1902-07-14

troops. New and favorable regula
tions with regard to furlough have
been made with view to allowing OF
fcers to devote greater attention to
both their own and their family at
fairs.
The increase Of pay to the army
surgeons is under consideration, and
the minister of war has ordained that
the army surgeon shall receive two
months pay at the beginning of the
year as bonus" General Kuropat'
kline has made great efforts to i'm
prove the education, morals and re-
ligious feelings Of the troops, and he
has also striven to make barrack life
more agreeable. Medals and money
rewards have been granted to the
troops which took part in the China
expedition. Of the Russian forces
still remaining on Chinese soil in 1901
the Russki Invalid mentions the first,
fourth and fifth eastern Siberian br1-
gades of guards. This would repre-
sent "a battalions and machine-gun
detachment. Then there were de-
tachments of the second, third and
sixth eastern Siberian brigades OF
guards, the first and second eastern
brigades of artillery, the Ussuri and
Amur. cossacks. The $4,000 railway
guards with % guns do not appear in
the budget of the ministry of war, but
in that of the ministry of finance I'M
der the heading of Frontier Guards. F."
That the Russian statement to the eff
feet that Russia has now only 10000
men in Manchuria, inclusive of the so
called protective troops, cannot be
made to agree with actual facts is to
be seen clearly, seeing that the east
ern Siberian contingent are on war
footing.
In referring to organization the Rus
ski Invalid is far from being up to
date. It's omissions in this respect
are as follows: 1t does not speak of
the conversion of the former cavalry
reserves into regiments and squad
rons, nor Of the Strengthening of the
first two squadrons of every regiment
in such a manner that they can adj
vance at once in squads of 80 horse
men; nor of the creation of five ma
chine gun detachments, one of which
is for eastern Asia, where there are
already three such detachments; nor
of the conversion of the two mortar
batteries of the first eastern Siberian
brigade of artillery into light batter
les, while the mortar material re-
mains stored up at Nikolsk-U ssuriski,
where mortar firing is being prac-
ticed; nor of the formation of two
more companies of ortress artillery at
Vladivostock; nor of the raising OF
the strength of the two trans-C Caspian
railway battalions into six companies
each. Naturally enough there is no
reference made to the high-handed
action of Russia in destroying the ma
tional character of the Finnish troops
by converting them into Russian regi-
ments Moreover, nothing is said of
the measures taken to assure the po-
sition of a large number of non-com-
missioned officers of long service, nor
of the commencement made in the di-
rection of reorganizing the field artil-
lery into batteries with six guns and
twelve ammunition wagons; these
guns will be introduced shortly; they
will be 3-inch quick firing guns of the
1900 model
Nothing is said of the continued ex-
istence of the four Siberian brigades
of infantry which can furnish 40 bat
talions in case of war; no mention is
made of Russia's activity in the con-
struction of railways, nor of the start
made in raising the number of the
company files to Ga. This is to be
carried out in 1902 Finally, and
among other omissions, there is no
reference to the preparations being
made with view to the formation of
a forty-ninth reserve brigade of in
fantry. A cadet corps was established
at Vladivostock in 1901, and the com
missariat course of instruction laid
down there in 1900 has been reduced
to four years course. For the pur-
pose of making the leaders of the
troops acquainted also with the use of
and with the results obtained by artil-
lery, the cavalry and infantry generals
and the chiefs of the general staff
were ordered to be present on the fir
ing grounds. Under the heading OF
New Regulations come new instruc-
tions for mobilization, especially for
the infantry; new regulations for the
commanders of fortresses; and, above
all, there are the new regulations for
field service and for fighting as drawn
up by General Dragomiroff. The SER
vice of the cossacks is to be lightened,
and they are to receive subsidies. No
mention is made of General Kuropat-
kine's tour of inspection in Central
Asia, although that tour resulted in
the increase of the strength of the
companies of the fortress artillery and
also in certain arrangements of the
troops in Turkestan and in the Sye-
miryetsch territory.
An attempt has been made here to
rectify the striking omission on the
part of the Russki Invalid, and to
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