Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-15
IN EFFICIENT STATE
GEN. ALIENS REPORT ON THE
SIGNAL CORPS.
Delay in Office Business Caused by the
Scattered Location of
the Bureau.

The annual report Of Brig Gen. James
Allen, chief signal officer of the army.
states that the signal corps Is in. an eff
f1cient condition. Its military telegraph lines
and many submarine cables are in first
class working order. and the electrical fire
control system for coast defense Is deemed
superior to that of any other nation. The
wireless telegraph service, according to the
report, has continued uninterruptedly, Its
equipment for troops in campaign having
reached a very satisfactory state of devel-
opment.
The military cable and telegraph system
from Seattle. Wash, to Alaska is working
very efficiently. Gen. Allen says. and TAX
ing into consideration its earning power it
is probably commercially worth today more
than 1t has cost the United States
Experiments With Balloons.
On the subject of ballooning Gen. Allen
says that during the year the equipment
board considered many methods Of gener-
ating hydrogen in large quantities for use
In the ascension Of balloons. experiments
having been conducted In the method Of re-
frigerating Illuminating gas means Of
separating hydrogen from other constitu-
ents. but as yet these experiments have not
been fully concluded. The corps now has
on hand number of captive balloons.
which are available for service at any time.
Gen. Allen says there Is an urgent neces-
sty for one seagoing and at least one addt-
tional harbor cable boat for the Atlantic
coast.
The necessity Of the signal corps for
more officers. says the general. SHOULD be
recognized. as at least thirteen additional
officers are urgently needed.
The report also states that the force OF
enlisted men is too small in relation to the
number In other branches Of the service.
and recommends that the corps be in
creased by 600 enlisted men.
Bureau Too Much Scattered.
In closing his report Gen. Allen refers to
purely local conditions as follows:
1.-The rooms assigned to this bureau are
situated in four different buildings. necessi-
tating delay In the transaction of business
and preventing Capitalization Of official
records. With the assignment Of additional
office rooms in the same building with the
main Office of this bureau and with slight
ly Increased clerical force. more complete
and consolidated record of official communi-
cations could be made than at present. I'm
til this is done it is not deemed practicable
to make any further improvements In pres
ent methods.
las in past years. there have been changes
in the clerical force due to employees seek
ing to better their condition by transfers to
other departments. where they believe .Aere
Is greater opportunity for promotion. 1t Is
recommended that the lowest salary for
, stenographers be 81 600 per annum. Those
employees who are proficient and only re-
ceive 5000 per annum soon become dissatis-
fed and seek transfers to other depart
ments. and this bureau IS therefore con-
stantly training new employees.
IAN additional clerk of class three Is
needed. and as this bureau has no position
at that salary, 1t would result in the promo
ton of clerk in every grade below $1,000.
1.-The services of the officers and en-
ployes on duty in this office have been salts
factory