Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1906-10-16
DEAD TIMBER IN ARMY
Major General Wood Advises
Wholesale Pruning.
REQUESTS BDlos FOR MEN
Officer Says Shotsuns Would Help in
Warfare Against Philippine Natives
Carried on in Tropical JunaIes-
No Reduction Wanted.

wood. commanding the division of tho
Islands. In his annual report just re.
ceivcd by the War Department.
Moreover while realize that shot.
guns and bolos are not supposed to
FORM part OF the equipment of Il
regular army. bolos are so necessary
In the gucrilla-likc warfare carried on
here against the natives that If the
government does not provide them, IL
VIII be necessary for the soldiers TO
purchase them themselves"
Officers Arc Not Good.
In regard to the dead timber in the
army, of the Philippines, Gen. Wood
says that a considerable number of
officers have entered the service as
the result of the war with Spain and
the subsequent disturbances in the
Philippines who. now that n condition
or peace Is established, are found to
be OF type which II Is not desirable
TO continue In the regular service.
The class OF officers referred to-
he continues. 'is made up of the men
who find the hard and serious work
or an officers career different from
what they expected. This combined
with the lack of excitement has rem
dered them Indifferent, to- improve.
ment. and, In some instances, TO the
discharge Of duty.
Hard to Eliminate.
IT Is difficult to eliminate this class
by the means now afforded, rs many
OF them while far from keen. consid.
er the position of al officer n suffi.
csently good one to hold on to as n
means OF livelihood Some means
other than a court-martial, or failure
to pass the examinations for promo.
tion now required, are needed to dis.
pose Of this class"
He says that aside and apart from
this class of officers large percen-
taGe Of the field officers are too old
for their positions. with our small
army there is no excuse for carrying
heavy load of inferior personnel In
any class" he declares.
Must Have Bolos.
Referring 10 the necessity for the
bolo, he says: ut Is recognized that
neither the shotgun nor the bolo is
a part of the equipment OF the soldier
engaged In warfare in the ordinary
application Of the world. The opera
warfare, is warfare under extraordi
nary conditions. being directed
against savage enemy hidden In
dense swamps and canebrakes or in
mountain ranges covered with an al
most impossible mass of trees and
underground, making their use neccs-
sary by troops in the Jungle"
He also wants revolver of great
stopping and shocking powder to pre-.
vent the enemy with the spear or DO.
10 from striking home. He wants n
hand grenade and wire cutters which
can be worked with ono hand. fur
nished at the rate of one per squad
Need all Present Troops.
He declares that 1t would he unwise
to make any considerable reduction
In the total strength of the garrison
I'VE are far from home" he says,
land In case of foreign disturbance.
| even with all our troops concentrated
at Manila, the force available would
be barely sufficient to defend ii from
serious attack Moreover, a strong
garrison should be maintained here
| until conditions pertaining to the civ
! II government are we'll established
aud the anlmositics and disappoint.
ments incident to the building I'D OF
local government under new and per-
haps strange conditions have passed
| away"
Gen. Wood expects disturbances In
Mindanao, because there Is a large
Mohammcdan element hut he does
not look for further organized resis.
lance on large scale. because he
| says, leach Of the great moral CEN
tiers has attempted concerted resis-
lance to tho government, and each
has met with exceedingly severe re.
verses"
To Increase Field Batteries.
He recommends that the number
of field batteries in tho regular SER
vice should be brought up to at least
sixty. and that every effort should
be made to develop a wcll-instructed
militia field battery organization. In
preparing for future contingencies, he
says: "In case of war with strong
naval power, sea.coast defenses will
have to be generally manned and tho
coast artillery personnel very consid-
erably strengthened"
Gen. Wood reports that there have
been some indications of unrest In
the northern portion of Leyte. He is
unable to trace the origin. He can
not say whether 1t comes from Pnla-
james who, being hard pressed in Sa-
mar. are attempting to create diver.
sion. or Is political and the result OF
certain unfortunate friction between
the governor and alcades of interior
towns. He says that the Pulajanes
are the usual combination of igno.
rance and fanaticism. Covered with
worthless charms they believe them
selves to be invisible and invulnera-
BILE. Ho says that In military sense
the disturbances are of little signifi-
canoe, but that they are very vital to
the welfare of the island "ani give
rise to serious doubts as to the pos