Omaha daily bee., 1906-07-03
ANN eossIr ~ wAsHINeroN.
Current Events Cleaned from en-
Army and NAVY Register.

Current Events Cleaned from the
Army and Navy Register.
There will be no company barber shops in
the army That question has been settled
| finally by the War department in It's action
on the request filed by a company cont
/ mander for permission to establish and op-
crate a barber shop for the benent Of the
command. The War department authori-
ties take the position that the post ex-
change IL the proper organization TO con-
duct a barber shop at a military post and
II was decided that where barber shops are
necessary they must exist by arrangement
with the post exchange upon the functions
Of which a company barber shop would in
fringe.
An order will shortly be issued from the
War department relating to the organiza-
ton OF a provisional regiment OF field mr.
! tillery at Fort Riley. There will be at
that post ten batteries of that branch VI
the artillery corps for the summer maneuv-
ers. or one-third Of the entire field artillery
| force OF the country. 1t is felt that adj
vantage should be taken of the moblliza-
! ton of this force of field artillery batteries
and to that end provision is made for the
organization of the provisional regiment.
made up OF six light batteries. With this
there will be an independent battalion of
two siege batteries and two horse batteries.
It has been decided not to send to Fort
! Leavenworth for preliminary instruction,
previous to final examination, those army
candidates who have been designated for
appointment as second lieutenants, 1t has
been the custom TO send these enlisted
men, who have Professionally qualified for
commissions. to Fort Leavenworth, where
they have undergone a course of special In
struction at the hands Of army officers of
experience. The course has usually eX-
tended from July 1 to September l, when
the young men were examined. This was
OF decided advantage to the candidates
themselves and moreover, It permitted the
authorities to size up the candidates and
report upon their availability along lines
which are not determined always and un-
failingly by the examination to which they
are subjected. For some reason this prelim-
mary course will not take place and the
soldier candidates will report at Fort
Leavenworth in time only TO receive their
final examinations on the first OF septem-
| Der.
! Secretary Taft has approved plans for
the examination of army officers prelmin-
airy to promotion The subject has been
under discussion for some time and the
results Of the inquiry have been embodied
! in a vouminous and comprehensive report
submitted by the third division OF the
general staff II has been Mr.. Taft's idea
| that the system of examination by means
of what may be called local boards was
defective and that officers were promoted
| who really were entitled to be retired or
wholly retired. When Mr., Taft was before
the senate military committee this winter
on the elimination bill, he said that in most
cases where officers were examined the
board took too much notice of the personal
surroundings of the candidate and, as he
expressed IT, the board placed under exam
nation the wife and children of the
Officer" instead Of the Officer. In other
words. the secretary feels there is alto
gether too much sympathy and sentiment
| injected into the examination for promo
ton He hopes to get rid OF this by the
system which has been suggested by the
general staff and which is to be described
in detail in the text of a general order
which has gone to the printer.
The War department has been several
times advised OF the presence in western
towns of a man OF good appearance who
pretended to be recruiting officer for the
army and who was making bogus contracts
with candidates whom he induced to ZEN
list" 1t appears that little or no charge
was made for the enlistment but some
sort OF fee was exacted when the accepted
recruit sought to be released from his sup
posed contract with the government repre-
sentative. The culprit has at last been
caught and 1t is proposed to proceed through
the attorney general to take such action as
will bring him to justice. This may be the
same man who has been heard from in
different places in the west and who is evil
IDENTIFY making a very good living by the
preparation of this fraud. 1t is a good
idea to have the Incident thoroughly ad-
vertised to the end that municipal au-
thorities, where such a swindler appears,
may be able to cope with him. He seems
to have gone on his way practically un-
molested without much question as TO his
identity or the authority for his activity.
II there is more than one such person
travelling on such a business there is all
the more reason to make an example OF
the man who has now been caught.
There will shortly be issued from the
War department a revised manual of the
: pay department and brand new distance
tables This latter volume, OF great i'm
portance to the army on account of the
allowance of mileage, must be revised by
the striking out of the bond-aided roads
1t was found to be cheaper to get out a
new volume than to attempt any correc
ton OF the tables.
JUSTICE BREwER's REMARK.