Omaha daily bee., 1908-05-14

Current Events Cleaned from the
Army and Navy Heutster.

ARMY GOSSIP IN WARRINGTON.
Current Events Cleaned from the
Army and Navy Register.
The army signal corps officers will con-
duct some experiments at Fort Leaven-
worth with a new field wire. The present
wire is an 1l-strand steel wire highly in
sulated for laying on the ground to pro7
vide communication with mobile armor.
1t Is believed that an improved wire is Of
fered by a patented copper-clad article,
which has the advantage Of being cheaper
and Of higher conductivity and higher ten
sile strength than the present wire Sam
pies Of the new field wire have been made
up in different ways and sent to Fort
Leavenworth.
The re-armament of the army and militia
with the new Springfield rifle model for
use with the sharp-pointed bullet has been
able achievement on the part OF the ord-
nance department, as all rifles in the
hands of troops designed for use with the
round pointed bullet had to accommodate
the sharp pointed ammunition. The new
ammunition was not adopted until last
summer, and the manufacturer of rifles
at the Springfield armory and Rock
Island arsenal had to be expedited
in every way in order to re-arm troops in
time for use of the rifles during the cur
rent target season. About 10000 rifles
were required for this purpose. In addi-
ton to this, the problem Of manufacturing
the sharp-polnted ammunition presented
Itself. This manufacture has been accom-
plished at the Frankfort arsenal at the
rate of about 100000 rounds per day. This
necessitated considerable Increase in the
capacity Of the plant and a large addition
to the number Of employees. Manufacture
of the rifles and ammunition is being con-
tinued at the same rate for the purpose of
accumulatirg a reserve supply.
The secretary of war has decided that a
retired army officer who was on duty at
the time Of his death as professor OF mill
tary science, etc, at one of the universi-
ties was not in active service at the date
of his death. 1t Is conceded that it would
be within the power Of congress to author
ze retired officers to be placed upon full
active duty-that is, to occupy precisely the
same status as officers on the active list
but it has never done so. While assigned
to active duty. and especially when they
are forbidden to receive their full pay and
allowances, they would seem to be engaged,
1t is held, in an authorized employment
which differs in some of its material Incl
dents from active service and which is not
inconsistent with their status as retired
officers.
The War department has decided that the
state which has in it's possession certain
ammunition which is no longer Of any use
may exchange 1t for an equal amount OF
ammunition which will be suitable for the
new magazine rifle which is to be issued
to the militia. This is an important ques-
tion which has been brought up by the
militia authorities in Ohio, and it opens
up a big question of the extent to which a
state may be reimbursed for useless pow
der purchased out of state funds or out
of the allotment of federal funds made in
behalf Of the militia. The War depart
ment has decided that the exchange may
take place, and the general application OF
| the decision is awaited with much interest
The War department Is renewing it's ef.
fort to stop the illegal traffic in soldiers
| uniforms. There have been in the last
| year many cases of conviction of dealers
| in clothing who have purchased equipment
| from enlisted men of the army. For a
| time the department encountered much diff
| ficulty in accomplishing this, for the rea'
son that the clothing was held to be ar
| allowance of the soldier who was entitled
to do what he pleased with something Is
sued TO him and to which he was fully
| entitled with sll the effect of proprietary
! possession. In some recent cases which
| have come to the attention of the War de-
pertinent the purchasers of these uniforms
or equipment presented the defense of moi
| knowing that their act was illegal In sew
| eral instances the soldiers had pawned tht
articles, and 1t was understood by thos'
I who accepted them that the goods wer'
owned by the person presenting them.
| has occurred to the military authorite!
that II would be well to have this situation
fully known, and 1t has been decided t
communicate with the police authorities o
tie leading cities and of the towns situated
| in the neighborhood of army posts, in orde
that dealers IN second hand clothing anC
| pawnbrokers who would be likely to pur
chase this clothing may be made fully
| acquainted with the situation There is :
decreasing amount Of these transactions
owing to the energy and determination
shown by the military authorities in prose
cutting cases of this class