New-York tribune., 1907-06-03

served ad3utHDt general the STAFF Of General
Iawton during that officers brilliant campaign 20
his credit General Edwards. then captain II in
fantry. but with his superior officers four earnest
recommendations for brevet rank OF major and
lieutenant colonel colonel ana hrigadier general
Of volunteers was placed In charge Of the disor-
ganizcd and somewhat chaotic bureau which secre-
tary Root had called into existence TO handle the
The remarkable faculty for organization and ad-
ministrat,on which b" had displayed I'm the field
new bureau, and to-day the bureau OF insular AZ
fairs is conceded t" be of the best administered
recognized by Congress at the last session rats
yyifh the rhIrf-r,ir.s has hoo. .Il.J ilris.3Ic,n
over Cuban affairs. Iud tn General Edwards Gov
GTn"r MaE"nn. himself formerly law officer OF the
the cuban adminstraton profits by the long "x-
perencc of tie chief of the iusuar bureau.
General Edwards has won The entire confidence
Of Secretary TAFT ana his official advice on nsular
ir, a,d t 49, 49, t @ H.. .,p - VIII ~, D. r.
Secretarys gray gcldIng when the two men take
sti has fourteen years Of active service ahead OF
him. is moreover one Of the most popular officers
In the army
SELECTING OUT NAVAL OFFICERS-This is
the last month i'm which naval officers of the grades
Of commander ana captain may nle their appIlra-
tious for retirement under the provisions of the
naval personnel law. Tie result of the opening
Of the applications June 80 by the special board
of rear admrals, which has held preliminary ses-
sion. and which is 10 meet mt the Navy Depart
mcDt at tAdt lEl". IS awaited with the keeuCSt
interest by naval officers Of the junior grades.
The expectation OF promotion is prevalent, and the
prospect that this year viii be tho last in which
there any of these premature rotiTements
TO increase the anticipation. There is impress
sion IN the service that at the next session OF Con
Gress the personnel bin Will be changed So as 70
do away with the wholesale retirement of officers,
many Of whom are ut for service and
whom already retired anxious to return
to have enacted legislation in their behalf to that
end The applications for retirement viii be re
1lra~
received, with the hope that as many applications
a chance 10 exercise its discretion In other years
It has been usual for officers who might be induced
out, to do when they learned that enough ap-
st Of those to be reIired Every ind4cemen VIII
be cXcrted this year to contine the retrements TO
senior commanders and captains.
NAVY TARGET TROPHIEs-The general or
der giving the records made by the ships of the
navy in target practice will be issued from the
bureau of navigation next week It Will show
that the battlcshp trophy for excellence in gun
merry is won by the Illinois. the gunboat trophy
10y the Princeton, the cruiser trophy by the Boston
and the torpedo boat trophy by the Preble some
of which ships hold the trophies for their re-
spectve classes. With the exception of the IL
lnois, which is attached to the Atlantic fleet. all
Of tho trophy winners the Pacific station
and are part of the Pacific feet None of the
ships of the Asatc station have made records
The ships of the Pacific station have achieved no
table records. All Of them in the class of
star ships. showing that the gunners have made
average of more than 50 per cent in hits There
has been much talk in the newspapers concerning
the breaking of the worlds records, and, while
there may have been such creditabe perform
auCes accomplished. it IS impossible state with
authority and the Navy Department will avoid
any such comparison, mainly for the that
It is impossible, I'm view of the different conditions
obtaining home and abroad The English. for
instance, have larger target and q longer range
and there is way of arriving at a determina-
tiOn of relative accuracy in naval guHncry be
tween this country ana Great Britain. This makes
ii of the question To have international
ing about
HOSPITAL CORPS COMPANIES.-Army med
zeal officers hope that it will be possible TO esab-
lish each of the brigade posts shortly to be in
stitutcd hospital corps company which shall be
the nucleus of command capable OF taking the
field with full organization and equipment for the
operation Of a field hospital in time of emergency.
There three of these companies in
Cuba, at Washington Barracks and the third
at the Preside of San Francisco fourth COM
pany is to be established at the large brigade post
Manila. These companies little else than
recruit schools to which assigned recent ap-
pOinteCs 10 the hospital corps for instruction and
training In hospital corps work. After certain
period OF this instruction the sent to the
various post hospitals, the company remaining
skeleton organization until IL is again filed up
company station and is always available for In
slant service, possessing the quality OF mobility,
which makes ii of value The company at
Washington Barracks, for instance went to San