The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1906-12-17
FINDS ARTILLERY
VERY DEFICIENT
General Murray Reports
Coast and Field Branches
in No Condition for War
FAVORS SUBMARINES

WASHINGTON, Dec. 16.-"BOth the
coast and the field artillery are badly
deficient I'm both personnel and ma
teriaI, neither Is In even approximately
proper condition for instruction in time
reasonably efficient service in war, and
the time necessary to put either in the
latter condition is not a matter of days
or weeks, but of years"
chief of artillery, thus summed up the
condition of his arm of the service in
his annual report made public today.
He says ii cannot be too strongly urged
that appropriate legislation be OBJ
tanned to make good the deficiencies
and to correct the defects referred to.
The total cost of the present system
of coast defense of the United States
to February 81 last General Murray
mated cost to complete the defense of
the United States, including estimates
for ammunition and cost of supplies,
etc, Is $50,S7S,339 The deduction is
made that clearly. more than half the
work of the coast defense has been
completed. The three elements of de-
Tense most needed and which will Sc
safety at the least cost General Muir
ray says, are the completion OF the in
stallation of the improved system of
range and position finding for all guns
and mortars mounted, The providing of
necessary searchlights for harbor de-
Tense at night and the completion of
the submarine mines equipment of all
fortified ports.
ENORMOUS COST OF DEFENSE
The proper defense of insular ports
and the entrances to the Panama canal.
it is estimated. will cost $19.873.Ss5 in
the case of the former and $4,827,6s2
for the latter.
The value of submarine mines as an
element of harbor defense, General
Murray says. has been demonstrated.
and he maintains the view that the
system adopted by the United States
army is practically perfect as a war
weapon. Being under complete cleo
trical control from the shore. he says,
a line Of mines may be rendered in
stantly destructive to any enemy or
harmless to passing friendly vessels.
Therefore, he adds. having so many
guns and mortars already mounted in
the United States, 1t is believed that
the greatest amount of harbor defense
at the least cost can be procured by
the completion of the mine defense Of
all fortified harbors of the United
States.
MUST NOT WAIT FOR WAR
1--WE cannot afford, however" General
Murray further states, ITO wait for war
before completing our mine defense, but
must be prepared beforehand"
But even then. he says, a complete
equipment would be of no use unless
there were a trained personnel to plant
the mines, maintain them intact, and
explode them at the proper instant In
action.
The desirability of separation of
coast and field artillery, General Muir
ray says, is most prevalent. He says:
"The combination of the coast and
field artillery into q corps m Is now
done is not only unsound a military
principle, but the frequent interchange
of officers between these tactically un-
related arms il considered to be clearly
detrimental to the efficiency of both"
FOR ARTILLERY GRADES
If reasonable standard of efficiency.
he says, is to be maintained by the ar
tillery, 1t will be necessary to provide
additional officers and men for the pur-
pose of manning the submarine de-
lenses. He contends that regimental
organization should be provided for the
field artillery, and finally that certain
appropriate pay connected Herewith,
for expert enlisted men Of the coast
artillery.
Pointing out that 1t will require 227s
officers and 55.110 men to provide one
relief for all the coast defenses con-
structed and proposed in the United
States, at the entrances of the isthmian
canal and in the insular possessions,
General Murray remarks that under the
present system it would be impractical
BILE to furnish this number. Therefore,
he says, attention must be directed to
some plan that will supply at the out
break of war the deficiency from the
old militia. He thinks that most of
the nop-expert class of artillery men
may thus be supplied as well as mum
Der of second-class expert artillerymen
drawn from these forces in the States,
would give special training to its
guardsmen in coast artillery duties.