Omaha daily bee., 1909-03-09

a lieutenant Of infantry recently APPLIED
to the War department for detail as A.
student officer al the Mounted Service
at Fort Riley and the question has
been considered by the general staff. II
is held that, as there are only sufficient
at Fort Riley to accommodate the
student officers which the cavalry and
field artillery are authorized to send to
the school. and as the training which would
he Impaired to an infantry lieutenant
would he Of no practical benefit to these
two branches, which are now urgently in
need OF more graduates. it would not be
good policy to detail this officer.
The examination OF candidates for APP
pointments to the Junior grade in the army
medical corps will probably begin on July
u. There are 1902 vacancies in the corps.
10 which places appointments will be mace
from the thirty-three medical officers who
are at the army medical school and who
will be commissioned. after final gradu-
alton, in June and from among the four
teen candidates who have passed their
preliminary examinations.
The War department is being delused
with applications for headstones for graves
OF soldiers. An effort has been made by the
quartermaster general to obtain from the
commissioner of pensions some idea of the
death rate OF the civil war soldiers and
others whose graves are entitled to be
marked in this way. Some idea Of the de-
mands upon the department for these
stones may be obtained from the fact that
there are destined TO be 1900 applications
for headstones during the present fiscal
year, or 1000 more than can be purchased
out OF the available funds. This will make
1t necessary in anticipation OF the increas-
ing demands to have an appropriation OF
S'5,OOO for the next fiscal year. The cur
rent contract price for the stones is 81. 20
each.
A notable failure OF most worthy and
greatly needed legislation is that which
found congress adjourning on Thursday
without acting on the measure which would
provide 500 additional officers for the COM
missioned personnel OF the military estab-
nshment. A number of reasons contributed
to the failure of this legislation. The
prime one, however. was the increase in
the appropriation for the military-naval
establishments and the imperative need of
keeping the expenses of the government
down to a figure which will not render it
a duty OF the new administration TO adopt
governmental maintenance.
The withdrawal of troops from Cuba
represented an item of expense under the
War department of $4,000 Ii is further
interesting that the latest available COM
pilation Of the expense Of the occupation
of Cuba hy the an Of C,tha, ,n,ffiaat 10,
amounts to a little more than ;6,OOO,O 900, of
which sum about s4.5OO,OOO is out of quarter
n aster department funds. This is the cost
up to January l and cannot be brought
more nearly up to date since there are
still, some troops in Cuba and the final
statements cannot be made until they have
been returned to the United States and the
cost Of transportation has been reported.
1t is estimated that the cost of occupation
in the end will be about Sc, 5O0,0 coo. This
includes the item of 81 900 expended in
behalf of the marine corps.
Considerable interest attaches to the pay
end allowance &c which will be entitled
Lieutenant Colonel Edward A. Mearns, L.
S. A, retired, late OF the army medical
department., who is 10 ex-
President Roosevelt on his African hunt
ing tour. That officer was directed to re-
port TO the president and was assigned to
station IN the city Of Washington. This,
under the law. is permissible and gives
him the pay and allowance Of a retired
major. 1t is understood that no difficulty
will he encountered in this particular,
iuasmuch as no doubt attaches to the
legality OF the detail, that incident having
been secured against troL BILE by previous
corsultations with the accounting officers.
The remoteness Of Major Mearns' official
duty may cause scme trouble to the dis
bursting officer, who will nave to be kept
advised in some way that Major Mearns
is alive before he may safely make dis
bursements on account OF pay and allow
arces. This may not be possible WITH
Major Mearns in the interior OF Africa,
far from the lines of communication
Success continues to attend the expert
mental treatment of tuberculosis with
mercury at the naval hospital at Las AMI
mas, Colo. The latest report received by
the surgeon general of the navy from Sur
geon Wright. who has been conducting
these tests. indicate that the treatment is
all and more than was anticipated for II
by the naval surgeons in their conserNa-
lively original estimate. A comparison OF
the statistics shows that the advantage
has been entirely in favor of those patients
who accepted the mercurial treatment as
compared with those who did not take IL.
or the cures S7H per cent OF the cases
we're treated with mercury and only l1R
per cent took in favor of those patients
who accepted the mercury; while II those
cases described as markedly improved lOO
per cent took the mercurial treatment and
those who did not take that treatment
failed to gain marked Improvement. II TINS
creditable and grstifyin demonstration
continues at the naval sanitarium In Colo
RADIO ii is probable tine authorities viii make
tie mercurial treatment compulsory IN
stead Of. as IL is now. optional with the
patient.
STAMP ACT FOR THE DEFICIT.
Prospective Return of War shckers