Omaha daily bee., 1908-04-14
ARMY GOSSIP IN wAsH1NeroN.
Current Events Cleaned from the
Army and Navy Register.


Current Events Cleaned from the
Army and Navy Register.
The army signal office is In the market
for two more military balloons, one Of 1000
cubic meters capacity and the other Of $40
cubic meters capacity. These balloons, will,
In due time, be sent to the signal corps
aernautical park at Omaha and be added
to the outfit of balloons at that place. These
new balloons will be Of the free as distin-
guished from the captive type. This makes
four balloons which have been or will be
purchased by the War department during
the last two years. When the signal corps
has acquired its dirigible balloon and II It
succeeds In obtaining three flying machines
there will be aerial vehicles acquired for
military use to add to the supply OF bal
looms already at Omaha.
The War department has under considera-
tion the detail Of general officer as COM
mandant of the service schools at Fort
LeaveDworth, Kan, as the successor of
Major General Charles B. Hall, United
States army, who will be transferred TO the
retired list, under operation Of law, on
April 20. The present policy of the secre-
tary Of war is to detail as commandant of
the service schools at Fort Leavenworth
the younger generals OF the army, in order
that they may there become thoroughly
acquainted with the system Of military edu-
cation established for the army and have
their interest therein promoted by thorough
familiarity with the subject. II seems prob
able that General Frederick Funston will
be selected to succeed General Hall.
The quartermasters generals office is in
receipt OF most Of the Philippine campaign
badges which are being issued to those OF
the regular establishment who are entitled
and required to wear It as part OF the
uniform. 1t is expected that all of those
badges covering that service will be re-
ceived from the mint in Philadelphia dur
ing the coming month. The Philippine
badges constitute the largest portion of
these campaign medals and 1t will be easy
to dispose of the others. The War depart
ment has adopted the design made by the
artist, Mllet, for the civil war badge. The
diverse side contains a head of Lincoln.
considered by the artist to be the best of
many types, together with the motto,
with malice toward none, with charity
to ALL The reverse side contains the
legend, '"The Civil War, 1s61-1S65," sur
rounded by a wreath.
An order will be issued from the War de-
partment for the guidance of departmental
commanders in the cases of enlisted
men who are tried by court-martial at the
general recruiting depots. Some confusion
appears to have been occasioned by the
fact that in such cases the reviewing au-
thority designates the place of confinement
and orders that the prisoners be held at
the post where they are now serving until
further orders. This is evidently with the
idea that the department commander has
no authority to direct the removal of the
prisoners from their post to the prison.
The order will have the effect of instruct
ing department commanders to restrict
their orders to the designation Of the ulti-
mate place Of confinement of prisoners at
recruiting stations. leaving to the proper
authorities at Washington the determine
tion Of the time and method of their re-
moval to the place which may have been
fixed as that for confinement.
The increase of service pay has made
substantial and encouraging progress dur
ing the last week. Provision for the in
crease of pay of officers and enlisted men,
corps the revenue cutter service, is in
cluded in the army appropriation bill as
1t passed the senate and is now in confer
ence. 1t represents the features of the
Warren bill so far as that measure, when
it passed the senate. applied to the COM
missloned personnel. 1t includes the en-
listed mems schedule of pay as it passed
the house in the army bill with slight in
creases rendered necessary in the interest
of justice In the pay of first-class SER
geants, privates and acting cooks of the
army hospital corps. The only other de-
parture from the house bill is in the provi-
sion of a continuous service pay for the
enlisted force where Il is provided that the
increase for re-enlistment shall be at the
various rates OF 81, IS and 81. in different
grades. The house conferees on the army
bill will make an effort to have adopted
change in accordance with the recommen-
dation of the paymaster general of the
army SO that the increase for continuous
service shall be identical in an enlistment
for all ratings. 1t is probable that the
change will be made so as to have an in
crease of "a on the second and third en-
listments and 81 for each subsequent en-
listment up to and including the seventh
This represents about the same amount of
money which would be expended under the
provision made by the senate In the army
bill and It would facilitate the payment
Of troops in a way which would be ap-
,raotatad h,y tha nav offfcara