The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-12-06

of militia and volunteer forces is the absence of competent officers of the rank of captain to teach the new army by the unit of the company the busi- ness of being soldiers and of taking care of themselves so as to render eff fective service This need of army officers can only be supplied by pro- visions of law authorizing the appoint ment of greater number of army of ficers than are needed to supply the commands of regular army troops now enlisted in the service.
 There are en 1ugh regular army off, cers to command the Iruvls How en- listed, but congress has authorized and the department has followed the example of congress and exercised the authority conferred by detailing these army officers to duty other than that of the command of troops.
 For instance, there are large num- Der of army officers assigned to duty with military colleges or in colleges in which military training is given. Then a large number of officers are assigned to general staff duty, and there are various other places to which army officers can be and are legally assign ed, which take them away from their regiments and companies. In order that the militia of each state should be properly drilled and made more like the regular army, regular army officers should be detailed to assist the adjutant general of each state in the supervision of the state militia, but this is impossible unless provision is made by congress for very cOnsid- erable increase in the number of con- pany and field officers of the army. A bill was pending in the last session of congress for this purpose, and I ear nestly hope that in the interest of the proper development of republican army, an army small in the time of peace, but possible of prompt and ade- quate enlargement in time of war, shall become possible under the laws of the United States.
 A bill, the strong argument for which can be based on the ground quite similar to that of the increased officers bill, is the bill for the increase of sixty in the army engineers. The army engineers are largely employed in the expenditure of the moneys ap- propriated for the Improvement of riv- CTS and harbors. This, in addition to their military duties, which includes the construction of Notifications both of our coasts and in our dependen- cies, together with the number used in the Panama canal work, requires many more engineers than the army has, and this shortness of supply in such officers delays important river and harbor work and important forti- the passage of this bill, which passed the house at the last session and is now pending in the senate.
 Notifications.
 I have directed that the estimates for appropriation for the improvement of coast defense in the United States should be reduced to a minimum. while those for the completion of the needed Notifications at Corregidor, in the Philippine Islands, and at Pearl Harbor, in the Hawaiian Islands, should be expedited as much as pos Sible.
 The proposition to make Olongapo and Subig bay the naval base for the Pacific was given up, and it is to be treated merely, as a supply station while the Notifications in the Philip pines are to be largely confined to Corregidor island and the adjacent is lands which command entrance to Ma nila bay and which are being rendered impregnable from land and sea attack. The Pacific naval base has been trans ferred to Pearl Harbor, in the Hawai- ian Islands.
 This necessitateS the heavy fortifica. tion. of the harbor and the establish. ment of an important military station near Honolulu. I urge that all the estimates made by the war depart ment for these purposes be approved by congressional appropriation.
 Philippine Islands.
 During the last summer, at my re. quest, the secretary of war visited the Philippine Islands and has described AiS tiAP HI HID ACpOAt. A4C AOuuu tuS islands in state of tranquility and growing prosperity. due largely to the change in the tariff laws, which has opened the markets of America to the products of the Philippines and has opened the Philippine markets to American manufactures.
 Porto Rico.
 The year has been one of prosperity and progress in Porto Rico. Certain political changes are embodied in the bill ito provide a civil government for Porto Rico and for other pur. poses,' which passed the house of rep. resentatiyes on June 15, 1910, at the last session of congress and is now awaiting the action of the senate
 The importance of those features of this bill relating to public health and sanitation cannot be Overestimated.
 The removal from politics of the ju. dietary by providing for the appoint. ment of the municipal judges is ex- cellent. and I recommend that step further be taken by providing therein for the appointment of secretaries and marshals of these courts.
 I believe that the provision in the bill for partially elective senate, the number of elective members being progressively increased, is unwise and