New-York tribune., 1908-05-04
ARMY AND NAVY NEWS
Committee of Cacalry Officers Con
sidering Reforms.
From The Tribune Bureau-1

Of concerning necessary reforms There Is
almost unanimous agreement on the proposition TO
have chief of cavalry to correspond with the chief
of artillery II is designed that the President sha
designate senior colonel TO act as chief OF cav
airy to be member of the General STAFF and have
charge OF all administrative work relating 10 the
cavalry. OF course, it will take legislation to give
such officer the rank OF brigadier general, al
| though undoubtedly of the general officers OF
/ the army who has from the cavalry could
! be designated perform duties which would or
| dinarily devolve upon the chief Of cavalry. An
other proposition which is being advanced is that
! the new remOunt system which is to be estao-
| lished under the quartermaster general shall be
in charge of a cavalry officer. This need has been
/ anticipated by the designation of a quartermaster
detailed duty with that corps from the cavalry
arm. who will be in charge Of the new remount
depot TO be established at Fort Sill There will be
| legislation on this sought during the
/ present session Of Congress. In fact the War De
/ partment has decided to postpone the effort to
/ have Congress add some six hundred officers
! take the places Of those absent from their
uands on detached duty
| INJUSTICES OF PROMOTION.-One OF the most
perplexing problems engaging the general staff of
/ the War Department has TO do with readjustment
of rank throughout the several lines of the artil
! lery. cavalry and infantry and aims the
injustice which wrought in the old days by
/ regmental promotion, instead OF advancement by
seniority. The proposition is 20 correct this gradu
/ ally and - rearrange the list to help those
/ officers VINO adversely affected by slow pro-
| motion in regiments where vacancies were few
and far between. There is great difference of
| opinion among officers to the wisdom and JUS
ttce of this attempt TO correct the stua ton at this
/ late day Many Of the officers who were adversely
! as well those who were favorably affected by
! the system of reSimentai promotion have now
/ been retired have attained those grades where
relief is impossible The attempt 10 settle the
! question in way which would be eminently fair
/ TO everybody is embraced at every turn by 2ll
/ sorts OF claims and counter claims. Some of the
military authorities who have considered the mat
ter in favor Of letting bygones be bygones and
not making any adjustment Of lineal lists in way
which will njure those in active service. One
OF the arguments favor Of the legislation is that
much discomfort prevails account of the exist
ing situation, but it is replied to this that there
! will probably be an equal amount Of discomfort If
! the situation were changed in any way. The meas
! ures pending in Congress, and nothing
will be done, at least at the present session. The
| amount of opposition TO any change is likely also
| to block the legislation.
NAVY RIFLE TEAM-Marksmen in the naval
| service expressing their disappointment that
| the selection OF TO represent the navy for
| competition in the national match in Ohio in
August will be limited TO those marksmen who are
attached to the ships the Atlantic Coast This
! means that the marksmen who made such a good
| record for themselves in the navy team Camp
| Perry in the national match Of 1901 Will not be
eligible 10 the duty and it becomes necessary to
| make UP entirely personnel Under such
the navy team is HkeiS 10 10
| Ohio ranges with who have not had previous
| experience and who cannot in the period before
| the competition obtain enough proficiency with the
| rifle seriously to compete with the marksmen from
! the national guard organizations and the regular
army The refusal OF the Secretary Of the Navy
| to permit the old members be brought from the
Pacific Coast is due to the lack of funds available
| for defray the cost Of transportation Accord
ingy the rife enthusiasts in the navy entertain
| little hope that the service will accomplish much
in the 1898 competition
! BROOKLYN NAVY YARD IMPROVEMENTS
! The conferrees of the House and Senate on the
| naval appropriation bill will agree to the pro-
! visions in that measure for public works at the
| ravy yard at Brooklyn, where the bureau OF
! yards and docks COntemplates an expenditure Of
$4,000 in the next fiscal year for such work as
electric plant extension underground Conduits cen
| tral power plant. railroad equipment sewer sys-
| tenn extension Of railroad system, extension Of
telephone system, reconstructlng roofs, including
: that Of power house No. Al and extension OF chem~
/ cal laboratories. The Senate amended the bill
authorizing the Secretary of the Navy to apply an
unexpended balance originally appropriated in 1859
. for the construction of bascule bridge toward
/ the general Improvement of the waterfront at the
! ward This amendment will be agreed TO by the
! House conferrees who viii also consent to the in
crease in the limit Of OF the new drydock. for
which the Navy Department has just awarded the
contract for completion. BY this action il will be
/ possible to arrange with the contractor for the
/ increase of the structure by fifty. feet
! RIFLE PRACTICE AT WEST POINT-The ca
/ diets of the Military Academy will not be repre-
seuted by team in the national shooting match
/ y hich will occur at Camp Perry, Ohio, In August
but undoubtedly viii be in the 1893 contest In the
first place there lack of facilities for target
/ practice al West Point, defect which is now be
ing supplied and there is enough time 20 select
the nlarksuen from the corps of cadets this season
President Roosevelt is keenly interested in the en-
couraserneut Of shooting among the rhidshpmeu It
ANNAPOLIS as well the cadets at West Point. and
! he has conveyed this sentiment the military
authorities The attitude al Point hitherto has
/ been that the time Of the cadets thoroughly
Z taken up in studies antAhe training Of the young
! men for the discharge Of the duties of coninis-
stoned officers Of the army. Il has been considered
that the time taken up in training for the quality
Of rnarksmanship required Of competitors in the
national match would he 4 heavy draft upon the
cadets showing any proficiency in that direction.
! COMMAND OF PACIFTCATORS-M Major General
/ T H Barry Just promoted. will probably remain
in command the army Of Cuban pacihcaton un-
til the withdrawal OF the military force from the
island next year. Il IS not considered advisable to
make any change in such prominent and respon-
sibIe command just at this time There will be
few other changes made in the personnel of the
sta or lire of the in Cuba although the Of
fcers have been on duty longer-t than the usual Pc
riod Of duty beyond continental limits. 1t would
not nav 10 bring officers back and replace them
with others when the entire force is destined tc
return 70 this country early in 1903
NATIONAL. PARK ROADS--The army engineers
r-bo have charge of roads in the Yellowstone
National Park have been In Washington this win
Ter discussing the various means of protecting those
tboroughfsres from disntegration. The character o
the soil is such that with the dry weather and tn
hard travel it is difcult keep the roads in repair
f.cer, do