The San Francisco call., 1903-12-07

Root, just made public, shows that on
October Is, 1903, the actual strength of
the regular army was 1851 officers and
Sc, 500 enlisted men, distributed as fol-
lows:
United Shareholders. 27e4; enlisted men,
Philippine isiands-offcers, s43 enlisted
men, IA 66T; total, 1880
Cuba-Offcers. "a enlisted men, oso; totai
Porto Rico-ofhcers. s; enlisted men. 2o4;
Hawaiian Islands-ofhcers o; enlisted men,
china~ofneers. 4; enlisted men. 147; total
Alaska-ofhcers. 20; enlisted men. 5S1; to-
tai, 500
The distribution among the different
branches of the service was as follows:
General offcers and STAFF organizations-
Officers. $50; enlisted men. 29es; total, 3S4s,
Cavalry-Offcers, T3l; enlisted men, IL, 44S;
Artillery Corps-ofhcers, e51; enlisted men.
infantry~oficers. 1889; enlisted men, %, s,115;
total. "a. 554.
Recruits and Miscellaneous Detachments-
Enlisted men, 213O.
There were also in the service 26 Of
ficers and $50 enlisted men of the Porto
SRico Regiment, 80 officers and 4SO5 en-
listed Philippine scouts and 2S07 hos
pital corps men.
These figures show a total net de-
crease during the year of 1873.
CREATION OF GENERAL STAFF.
The important military event of the
year affecting the regular army has
been the reorganization of the system
of military control under the general
staff act approved February IA, 1903.
This act abolished the separate office
of general commanding the army, pro-
vided for a military chief of staff to the
President, who, acting under the di
rections of the President, or Of the Sec
retary of War representing HIM, should
have supervision not only or all troops
of the line, but Of the special staff and
supply departments which had there
tofore reported directly to the Secretary
of War: and it created for the assist
ance of the chief of staff a corps of
forty-four officers, who were relieved
from all other duties.
The general plan contempiates that
every subject requiring investigation
and study shall be worked out first by
the officers assigned to the appropriate
division and section of the staff, and,
when of sufficient Importance, shall
then be considered by a general staff
council composed of the three general
officers of the corps and the heads of
the three divisions, and shall then be
acted upon by the chief or staff, or
laid before the Secretary of War by
him with his recommendation. 1t is
gratifying to report that the new sys-
tenn of control has been accompanied
by most harmonious effort and cheer
full good will on the part of the mem
bers of the general staff. the chiefs of
all the War Department bureaus, and
the officers of the army at large.
Following the same line of policy
which led to the organization of the
general staff, the Secretaries of War
and the Navy entered into an arrange
ment, with the approval Of the Presi-
dent, for joint Army and Navy Board.
The common understanding and mu-
tual assistance between the two SER
vices, which It is within the power of
this board to bring about, may be made
to cover wide range of subjects of
great public importance.
TO IMPROVE THE MILITIA.
OF equal Importance with the general
staff act in it's relation to the general
military efficiency of the country is the
act to promote the efficiency of the
militia, approved January 21. 1903, sup
plemented by an appropriation of $2,-
900, 900 in the army appropriation act Of
March 2, 1903. Congress declared the
National Guard organizations to be the
organized militia, and provided for call
ing them into the service Of the United
cta+ac whanaver renuirad FOR the CON
stitutional purposes of repelling inva-
sion, suppressing insurrection and ex-
ecuting the laws of the Union.
The act provides that the organiza-
ton, armament and discipline of the
organized militia shall be the same as
that prescribed for the regular army
It authorizes participation by the or
ganized militia in joint maneuvers with
the regular army, and provides that in
such case the organized militia so par
ticipating shall receive the same pay,
subsistence and transportation as is
provided by law for the officers and
men of the regular army, to be paid out
of the regular appropriations for the
support of the army. 1t provides for
furnishing aid to separate State en-
campments of the militia by allowing
out Of an annual appropriation of ST.
100000 for militia purposes to the Of
fcers and enlisted men engaged in such
Q o
CRUISER FLORA HOLDS
FAST TO THE ROCKS
Effort to Drag the Stranded British