Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-12-11

The surgeon general organized model
field hospitals. with complete compile
ment OF officers and men. In connec-
ton herewith course OF instruction
for medical officers In their practical
field duties as distinguished from their
medical and surgical duties, was inaug-
urated and carried out by the surgeon
general and officers of the medical de-
partment About 1873 officers of the or
eanized militia participated in these en-
campmcnts.
COAST ARTILLERY.
Most encouraging progress has been
made during the past year In develop
ing the policy of the war department
In regard to creating an adequate oody
OF coast artillery troops for use in
the coast fortihcations. supplementihg
thereat the coast artillery of the regu-
lar troops The proposition presented
by the chief of coast artillery IN MS
annual report for the year 1907 was.
that onc-half of the troops required
for providing one shift for manning
the guns and mortars provided Tor
the defense of the United States proper
should be supplied from the organized
militia. In 1896 Massachusetts,, on her
own initiative, took the first step In
this direction by assigning one Of her
duties This was followed in 1906 by
New York assigning the Thirteenth
Brooklyn regiment to similar duty III
1907 the seaboard states were invited
to have a number of their infantry
organizations participate with the reg
ular coast artillery in coast-defense ex-
ercises The object of this was to
bring to the attention of the state au-
thorities the Importance of the prob
la,.. at da1n nd fn
to the officers and men of the organized
militia something of the nature of the
work connected Herewith. In order to
ascertain whether II would appeal to
them In any way as desirable serv-
Ice.
RIFLE PRACTISE.
The reports of record rifle practise
held during the season of 1908 do not
show the improvement over the results
of 1907 that was expected. The range Ia
cilities I'm many states were inadequate
and for that reason some of the or
ganizations could not conduct their
practise. In the dcnsely populated sec
tIons the acquisition of n range of sufi1-
cIent size is almost impossible on ac-
count of the prohibItlve prices of land.
Difficulty is experienced, also, In rent
ing land on account of a prejudice
against rifle firing Of the people living
in the vicinity, In very few instances
can a range be obtained near city.
and unless quick transportation facil-
tiles are furnished many persons are
prevented from attendance on the
range on account of their employment
or business interests.
Forty-three militia teams attended
the national match at Camp Perry.
Ohio. this year. The improvement In
rife firing at this contest. over that
of previous years. was particularly
noticeable. Past records were sur
passed at almost every range. The
Improvement In team firing is apparent
from the fact that the lowest score
made by As teams during the last
match was greater than that made by
the tenth team. in field of so teams.
of the year before. While the results
arc due largely to better ammunition
than that used In any prior match, still
1t Is thought improved methods of in
struction have been followed and great
er earnestness and application shown.
II is noticeable that the states with
the highest standing in the national
matches show the best results In their
individual range practise.