Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-02-27
Increase of Engineer Corps.
cH1cAaONEW5

Representations have been made TO
Congress that an increase in the number
of officers in the Corps of Engineers is
conditions. and in time of war the addi-
tional number will he needed for the
proper discharge of the purely military
duties of the CORPS Gen. Marshall.
chief of engineers, has made special
report on the subject. He shows that
/ out of a total of 1873 officers but IS, or
20 per cent, are on duty wholly under the
| control of the chief of engineers; that
~ are performing duties partly under
the chief of engineers and partly uncer
other branches of the government While
93 officers or 90 per cent of the entire
corps are on duty entirely detached from
the control and supervision OF the cnlef
of engineers. AS showing the dlVerslheo
/ character of the duties performed he
SAYS that A officers are engaged on non
military duty exclusively, - on military
duty exclusively and 81 are performing
both kinds of duty.
1t is pointed out that the duties devoiv-
ing on the corps are steadily increasing
year by year. The corps is nov charged
with the constructor and REAR of foru-
fications the execution OF works OF river
and harbor improvements, road Worh III
Alaska and the Philippines, the cons.ruc-
ton and repair of lighthouses, surveys.
gineering, care of public buildings ana
grounds share in the government OF
Washington, d. c., and other work, all
of which involves expenditure OF
many millions of dollars annually. There
is every reason to believe. says Gen Mar
shall. that the increase in the demands
on the corps will continue. especially
in view of the demand for the improve
ment of the waterways of the country.
The Panama canal claims the services of
more than per cent of the corps and
many other projects in progress or IN
contemplation throw additional burdens
upon the officers.
These increasing demands of both mill
tary and non-military duties, Gen. Mar
shaii says. have been met by increas-
ing the duties and responsibilities OF lndl-
yidual officers and the assignment Of
extra work to many officers already over
burdened. Under the circumstances it is
somewhat difficult for the officers to de-
vote the proper amount of detailed con-
sideration and study to the various
works in their charge. 1t also has be-
come necessary to diminish the former
practice of assigning young officers TO
duty as assistants to Older officers. and,
in several cases, to assign to the respon-
sibie charge of an engineer district a
young officer who has had no previous
experience in such work. Similarly en-
gineer companies have been left for long
periods under the command of young
second lieutenanIs only a year or two
, out of the Military Academy for want of
captains WHO Ut dSSlSflSu 10 The
duty.
Because of these considerations Gen.
Marshall recommends that the author
lied strength of the corps be increased
by at least sixty officers. He regards that
increase as absolutely necessary 10 pro-
vide proper organization of the corps
for carrying on the work devolving on it,
He says that the increase should be eff
fected in the grades above that of second
lieutenant, the authorized number of sec
ond lieutenants being sufficient for the
performance of duties properly assignahle
to officers of that grade. The plan ia
vored distributes the additional sixty offi-
GERS so as to make the proportion of field
officers in the corps approach more
closely to that in the other permanent
staff corps This would add to the corps
five colonels, six lieutenant colonies,
nineteen majors, seventeen captains and
thirteen first lieutenants. Gen. Marshall
says the increase should be extended over
g. period of about five years. thus effect
ing a gradual expansion and avoiding the
difficulties inherent in the immediate
entry and assimilation of SO large an
amount of new material.
Marine Corps Target Range.
Good progress is being made in the
preparation of the new target range for
the United States Marine Corps at the