Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-11-11
Adiutant General Hall Just Is-
 sued Annual Report
ARMY's LOSS FOR ONE YEAR

Nearly Thirty Thousand Men By Sick
 ness, Death and Expiration of Ser
 vice-The Adjutant Refers in His
 Report to the Inconvenience Men Of the National Guard Find in Getting
 Away from Their Employment.
 Washington, Nov 1.-The annual re port of Acting Adjutant- General Hall of the army was made public to-day. The actual strength of the army on October 15, 1903, was 3,3s1 officers and 55,50O enlisted men. There were lost to the army during the year ended June 30, 1903, 29,279 men, as follows: One hundred and thirty-eight officers, of whom twenty five were killed in ac- ton and died of wounds or disease: 2S,141 enlisted men, of whom S3T were killed in action or died of wounds or disease the remainder representing men discharged for expiration of term of service, for disability, by sentence of court martial, desertion and retire ments.
 Over one-half of the report is de- voted to the militia aud it gives de tailed account of the workings of the act to promote the efficiency of the militia, passed at the last session of congress. Inspections of the several militia organizations. the report says, 4 h 1ri1 pleted about the list of July. The total number of the organized militia, including officers of every rank and yrade, was ascertained to be 116,542.
 Regarding the dependable strength of the militia in time of national peril, the adjutant-genera1 states that "al- though the obligation of officers and men of the militia to respond promptly to a sudden call of the president has been on the statute books more than hundred years, and of the organized militia or national guard for nearly forty. and the neglect to so respond is punishable by such penalties as a court martial may direct, experience has shown that this obligation is a theory rather than fact Without going farther back than the late war with spain, the proportion of membership Of militia organizations who have actu- ally responded to such calls of the president has borne a very small pro- portion to those actually borne on the company rolls.'
 Eliminating the men unfit for mili- fary service, and those unable to go to the front for logical reasons, the re port says that only about thirty of the original company is fair estimate OF the number of men in each company that were finally received into the ser vice of the United States.
 Continuing, the adjutant- general states that there is an applicable oppo- sition on the part of the employers to permitting their employees who are members of the national guard to leave their work to participate in drills, en- ca1npments and target pra ctice, as well as in responding to calls for service rom the state for the suppression of disturbances. The adjutant- general adds: aE
 "In some cities of Virginia, Georgia and Louisiana the newspapers have prejudiced the minds of the militia men by their. distorted views. The fear Is expressed in some southern communities that under the presidents order white national guardsmen might be. compelled to serve under a colored commander, and still others believe that they are state troops and should not he ordered for duty outside the state." As the intent of the law be- comes better understood with perhaps some further legislation, the belief is expressed that most of this opposition will vanish.
 It is recommended that provision be made in the appropriation bill for the hire and forage of horses and fuel for militia while engaged in maneuvers.
 In order to increase the attendance at the drills and thus to secure in creased efficiency of the organized mill itia. that governors be permitted to utilize the allotment of their respective states under section 1861, revised statutes, for the purpose of furnishing B per diem allowance, not in any case to exceed 43 cents per drill of one and one-ha1f hours, for the purpose of pay ing enlisted men of the organized mill itia for attendance at each of the twen- tyfour drills annually required by statute.
 That. as precedent to participation In maneuvers the states ap<l territories require sufficient phys:cal examina- tion for entrance into fheir organized militia. ."
 That states be permitted to retain rifles and carbines now in use by mill tary schools and colleges instead of throwing them in on receipt of new arms.
 That for the purpose of preserving order in camp no troops of the organ ized militia shall participate in ma neuvers unless the laws of the state to which the troops belong sufficiently provide for the punishment of dis order