New-York tribune., 1910-07-30
ARMY AND NAVY NOTES
Immediate Changes in Army De-
tajI-Board to Raise Maine.
tFfom The Tribune Bureau.l

CHANGES IN ARMY DEIAiLo--'i"
portant changes are to be made In the De
tails Of army officers for certain classes OIL
detached duty. General Leonard WOOD
since he has assumed the duties OF chiet Oh
staff. has undertaken TO reduce the numper
of absentees. by which title are known the
officers OF the line who are on various
kinds OF duty which takes them away from
their line commands. There have oeeii
more than seven hundred of these officers
who are not with their regiments, ana tney
represent all the grades from second heu-
tenant to colonel. Congress has laiied 10
enact legislation which increases the COM
rpfssioned personnel by enough omcers 70
take the places og those detached on duty
and there is little likelihood that any Such
legislation will be enacted at the next seq
sion. In the mean time 1t is necessary 10
return officers to their regiments, especiahy
those now on duty In the Philippines ana
more particularly officers of the grace Oh
colonel who command regiments and OF
the grade of captain who command COM
panies, troops and batteries.
General Wood believes that II Is not nee
essary to walt for the increase Of the COM
r1issioned personnel by Congress. lie reefs
that the most direct method in the way or
relief should be adopted at once. 1t mas
therefore been decided that In the hun
dred details TO duty with military colleges
as MANY retired officers will be assigned
to that work as possible. Inasmuch as 1t
may not be practicable to obtain retired
officers in sufficient numbers and of the re-
ouired experience and activity, it has been
decided to detail first lieutenar1ts instead OK
captains. BY this means the colleges VIII
be supplied with the officers they need, ana
the captains, who are more needed by their
commands, will be restored to their COM
panies. 1t is possible some such plan VIII
be applied as well in assigning officers to
duty with the militia There has been some
question among the military authorities as
TO the real value of this college duty. 1t
has an indirect benefit In that 1t stimulates
an interest in military duty, but as only a
small portion of the study period OF the
college student can be devoted to drills and
lectures ON the art of war there are ofnceIS
who entertain the opinion that the results
do not compensate for the amount or time
consumed in the work by the officers who
are detailed as instructors at the univer-
sites.
BOARD TO RAISE MAINE.-ColoneI
William NJ. Black. now stationed at New
York as division engineer OF the North
eastern Division, has been designated by
the War Department as president OF the
board of army engineers which IS to re-
port on a plan for the raising of the bat
tleship Maine. The other members OF the
board are Lieutenant Colonel Mason NJ.
Patrick, who is in charge of the defensive
works at Hampton Roads. and Captain
Hurley B. Ferguson, who is in charge Of
river and harbor works in Alabama,
Georgia, Louisiana and Florida In his in
structions General Oliver. Acting Secretary
of War directs the board Ito conduct the
necessary Investigations. prepare the plans
and execute the work required" under the
acts of Congress appropriatlng SDoVO Tor
the raising removal OF the Maine ana
the interment in the Arlington National
Cemetery of all bodies recovered.
FAVORS GOVERNMENT CONTROL OF
WIRELESS PLANTS. - Rear Admiral
Schroeder, commander in chief of the At
lantic fleet, in his report of operation for
the fiscal year ended June 30, urgently rec
government control of all wire
less plants. The Atlantic fleet made a
great record in wireless transmission, the
admiral reports. The flagship frequently
took two hundred messages a day, but the
work was need1essly interrupted by COM
nercial operators and schoolboys with anna
teur plants on shore. At times the wire
less operations Of the fleet were completely
suspended. Day signalling with search
lights has been highly developed in the
feet, and on one occasion, in a thick fog.
d ship eight miles off was called back To
her anchorage, and the searchlisht sig
nails were read without the use of glass.
The condition of the ships, the discipline
and health of, the men, and the results Oh
tanned i'll target practice and Inanueuvres,
were reported as excellent.
PANAMA CANAL DEFENCE. - The
Panama Notifications board had confer
ence to-day with Major General Leonard
Wood, chief of staff of the army. Three
sub b-committees-land defence. coast de
fence and naval defence-made reports OF
an informal nature. The meeting was more
TO talk the situation over than for anything
else, it was said. The general scheme OF
defence as it now stands seems TO be Tor
naval base on the Atlantic side of the
1apaJ fortify both entrances first and