Evening star., 1909-04-18
ARMY AND NAVY NEWS.
Minors in the Militia.

Minors in the Militia.
Assistant Secretary Oliver has informed
the adjutant general of state that there
is no requirement in the militia law that
the consent of parents or guardians be
obtained for the enlistment in the organ
lied militia of minors between the ages
of eighteen and twenty-one years. Such
enlistments are covered by state laws, ana
IL, under these laws the enlistment OF
minors is authorized without the consent
of parents or guardians, the United
States would not reject such members OF
the militia In case a call vas made Tor
the services of the organization TO winch
they belong, nor would the presence OF
such minors in the militia at the time OF
the final inspection to be made under the
militia law with view of ascertaining
the fact of conformity or non-contormity
to its requirements constitute cause Tor
deciding that such organizations are not
in conformity to the organization pre-
scribed for similar units of the regular
service. The requirements of federal law,
that the enlistments of minors in the
united States army shall not be made
without the consent of parents or guard
ians, has no bearing upon the question
of enlistment in the militia
To Inspect Navy Yards.
Assistant Secretary Beekman Winthrop
of the Navy Department will shortly
make an inspection of the Norfolk navy
yard He will follow that up later by
inspections of the various yards through
out the country. probably reaching the
Pacific coast some time during the sum
mer and the southern yards late in the
fall His object Is to acquire a thorough
knowledge of the operations of the yards
under the reorganization plan now in
force Secretary Meyer is now in Boston
and will look into the operations OF the
Boston yard.
The Massachusetts, Again Afloat.
After being for little more than two
years in the hands of the workmen at the
navy yard at Brooklyn, the old battleship
Massachusetts has gone into reserve. The
Massachusetts Is sister ship OF the
Indiana and the Oregon, and was built
in 1893 by the Cramps in Philadelphia.
In her stay at the navy yard she has been
SO thoroughly overhauled that she is
practically a ship, although with
her low freeboard she will probably retain
her title of an almost submarine. She
is one of the first ships to have the new
waste basket fire control mast OF lattice
ironwork. She carries a main battery or
four 13-inch, eight S-inch and four 6-inch
guns. and will have a complement OF
about five hundred officers and men.
Vacancies in Coast Artillery.
An examination of civilian candidates
for commissions in the Coast Artillery
Corps will be held in July, following the
assignment to that branch of the gradu-
ates of the Military Academy this year.
There are at present nine vacancies in
the grade of second lieutenant of the
corps, to which. in July, will be added
forty-three original vacancies, being the
increment authorized for the present year.
1t is certain there will be at least fifty
two places which may be filled, with ad-
ditional vacancies created by casualties
occurring in the meantime. 1t is expected
that not more than twenty or twenty-five
of the graduates of West Point VIII be
assigned to the Coast Artillery Corps,
leaving a very liberal number of places
pete under conditions which governed the
recent examination of candidates from
civil life
Regulars Detailed to Militia.
1t is stated at the War Department that
the duties of enlisted. men of the regular
army detailed for service with the or
sanized militia will include all matters
pertaining to the theoretical and practi-
cal instruction of the organized militia
of the state which may be assigned to
them by the officer of the state under
whose orders they are serving. The de-
partment desires that the state military
authorities shall take every advantage
possible of the experience of the enlisted
men SO detailed may have had in. and
the knowledge they may have of, matters
of drill instruction, discipline and Gus
toms of the regular service. 1t is to
be clearly understood. however. that en-
listed men so detailed shall not be en-
ployed in any other than military
pacity.
The period of time for which these en-
listed men will ordinarily be detailed is
xrrin no
eligible for redetail until he shall have
the regular army.
Delay in Submarines.
The Navy Department is encountering
some difficulty in completing the con-
tract for two of the six submarines to be
built by the Electric Boat Company
These submarines are to be built on the
Atlantic coast, and the authorities have
not been able to reach a defnites under
standing with the contractors. There is
possibility that the two boats will he
built by the government at one of the
navy yards, has been proposed by~
some of the naval constructors. The diff
ficulty in this has been in n.ing with
the contractors for the use of certain
patented parts of their type of subma-
rine. The submarine of the Lake type
has not been contracted for. but 1t is ex-
pected arrangements will be completed i'm
a few days. The contractors have pro-
posed to build an improved boat for the
price named in their original bid. The
submarine af Italian model, known as the