Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1908-12-16
MILLION A MONTH
MORE FOR ARMY
JUST s52,ooo,ooo NEEDED NEXT
YEAR ABOVE THIS YEARS
DEMANDS.
SECRETARY WRIGHT ASKS FOR
TOTAL APPROPRIATION OF
NEARLY s1so,ooo,ooo.

establishments mere aSed IN cost. In his
annual report to the presid Mt. Sec
rotary Of War Wright places the to-
! tai estimates of the war department
for the mex fiscal year at $189, 755, 039,
an increase of about $4,000, 600 over
the appropriations for the present fis-
cal year. This increase is largely
for river and hsrbor work. and other
public works of a civil character, for
which purposes about $24,000,00 is
asked. OF the balance, about &c.,
100000 is an additional estimate for
the support of the army. military
academy, and the militia For military
public works. such as Notifications
arsenals, and military posts, the es-
Inmates call for an increase of SI7,S00.
0O0
Secretary Wright e. pecial.y recon-
mends an addition of 6f2 officers to
the army, and also approves a policy
for the elimination from the service
of all officers who fail to maintain
the requisite standard of efficiency.
Both of these propositions were be-
fore congress at its last session and
viii be strongly urged this year The
necessity for more officers, the report
states, is due to the unavoidable de.
tachment of officers from their regu-
lar service with troops. Their detach-
ment for recruiting duty, for duty az
instructors in the army and at state
institutions, a. well as with the militia
OF the several states and territories,
has occupied the time of a large num-
Der of officers. At present there are
on detached duty 691 officers, and 157
additional absent on leave or on &C
count of sickness. Besides this
examinations, court-martial service
and numerout other kinds of special
duty, though temporary in character,
make a considerable increase in the
number of officers that are constantly
unavailable for regular service with
their commands. He adds that 1t
would be a measure Of wise economy
to provide an extra number of highly
equipped officers for these added
duties that have been thrown upon the
army, as the result would be highly
btnecial in case of war. To provide
for the 612 additional officers the
secretary states there will be added
an annual cost of between $2,O0000O
ana $S.000,00n
Another method for mere sing the
efficiency of the army he states, is to
eliminate officers who have not the
highest qualifications The present
law on the subject does not apply
above the grade of captain. and. it isl
said, has utterly failed to accomplish
its purpose except in case of physical
disabi ity,
The report shows that the army is
now only 1921 enlisted men short of
the authorized strength, due to great
Improvement in recruiting. During the
past year there has been an Increase
in he actual strength of the army of
1858, making the present strength
4.116 officers and 6S.512 enlisted mer.
a total of 72,62S. Of this number
53.102 are serving in the United
States ,12.f01 in the Philippines, 1905
In Cuba, 1.102 in Alaska. Gil in Porto
Rico, 25G in HAWAII, with SOL troops
en- route and officers at other foreign
stations.
The number of enlfstments in the
army during the fiscal year ended
June so. 1908. exclusive of the hospital
corps and Philippine scouts. was Al
463. Of this number 1,743 were re-
enlistments and 29,720 were original
emf tments, The percentage of NAT
i've born (white and colored) among
the original eu.istments was IS; of
the total number of emil tments. 35.-
435 were native born, $3.50 were of
foreign birth. IL were Indians. rs
We're bore in the Philippine Islands
tenlisted or reenltsted for band mu-
sieians). and I29 were born in Porto.
Rico. OF the total number 39,s53 were
white; 1871 We're eo.ored.
The number of assertions from the
army fell off to 4.6 per cent of the
whole number of enlisted men in the
service during the fiscal year 1908,
as compared with 5.6 per cent during
the preceding fiscal year. The secre-
tary speaks with qualification upon
the marked decrease In the number
of assertions, not only during the
past year. but during the past two,
years. The number of assertions was
less in 1908 than duriag any fiscal
year since 1901. He accounts for this
Improve ment by the fact that long
term military convicts are now con.
fined in the military prison at Fort
Leavenworth, Kans,, instead of at
military po Is; more strenuous eff
forts are made 70 apprehend and pun
ish deserters, and the method of
making enlistmeuts has been changed.
Very satisfactory results. he states.
are shown in the target practice OF
the coast artillery. In 1906 about six
teen times as many hits we're made
as in 1900 under the same conditions.
and the result for the years 1907 and
1905 show marked improvement over
1906.
The secretary submits an estimate
of 100000 tc enable the signal eorDs
to take up military aeronautics in a
more effective way than il has done in
the pax. He reviews the progress of
aerial navigation during the past year
and gives it great Importance as