New-York tribune., 1910-12-29
ARMY AND NAVY NOTES
Detailing Line Officers to Special
Staff Corps Duties.
fF>rom The Tribune Bureau
va shinrtnn- DeceiIlh b

washington, December
GENERAL DUVALL'S RETIREMENT
At his own request Major General William
P Duvall, commanding the military forces
in the Philippine Islands, to-day obtained
leave of absence from Secretary Dickinson.
General DuvaIl will retire from active ser
vice January 13. and his leave will ex-
tend until that time Major General ]. #.
Bell is now on the way to the Philippines
to assume command of the troops there,
and will arrive at Manila within short
time. In the meantime Brigadier General
John j. Pershing will act as commander
of the Department of the Philippines. Cen
eral DuvaN will leave the islands on the
next steamer sailing for the United States.
OPPOSE STAFF DETAILS.-Army OIL
GERS are much interested in the intimaton
that Congress is disposed to enact lesisla-
ton checking the system of detailing line
officers to duty with the special staff corps.
That subject has been touched upon re-
peatedly in recent reports Of the heads
of bureaus of the War Department II
has been pointed out tha. the practice CT
detailing officers as quartermasters, pay
masters and commissaries has been detri-
mental TO the efficiency OF those branches,
for the reason that the officers thus as
sighed nave SSTFeu IOui SSdl Louio VI uNSI
and then gone back TO their regiments.
making necessary the detail of new OIL
GERS This is held to be hardly sufficient time
for an officer to become acquainted with the
staff duties The system was adopted by leg
islation enacted during the administrator
of Mr. Root as Secretary Of War. 1t was JUS
tilted by the theory that line officers would
thus gain experience as staff officers, wnile
the affairs of the staff departments would
be conducted with better knowledge ana
appreciation OF the requirements Oh tH0
line.
It has been found, however. that a per-
manent personnel of certain special stan
CORPS ia better than having officers de-
tailed for comparatively short periods. IL
has been proposed by such officers as the
oI1artermaster general, commiSsary gen.
eral and the paymaster general that the
detail system apply only to junior Officers
in their respective branches, and that there
be a permanent personnel in the hlsher
grades, the selection for such officers TO
be from those who have served iii oe-
tailed capacity in the junior grades ny
this means officers found quaiihed 10 per-
form certain duties would be retained III
the CAPACITIES in which they were likeiy
to be valuable, and especially in the higher
grades CARRYING increased Tesponslnlhty'
JrRGE wHISTLER'S PROMOTION--An
effort is being made 10 smash the slate or
brigadiers, the selection for which nliiets
was announced a week or more ago at tne
White House. The claims OF Colonel q. M
Whistler, OF the coast artillery CORPS ior
RECOGNITION with commission as gehefai
officer are being urged upon the Presiaehl
by Senators and Representatives from the
State OF Washington. where tnat olncer -
IN command of one OF the artlllefS ois-
+ric+s with station at Fort Worden, on
Puget Sound. Colonel Whistler is one OF
the best known officers of his branch OF
the service. He has been spoken OF for
chief of artillery, and perhaps would have
stood some chance for appointment after
the promotion of General Murray were 1t
not for the fact that Colonel Whistler re-
tires for age in August next.
ORDERS IssUED.-The following orders
have been issued
Retirement of Colonel JOSEPH B. GIKAkD'
Maion nle3sin. WfLLfaM IA P BURNHAM. General Staff.
and Captain WILLIAM X ,d JoNEs- Me- pay5s az ns
cember 81. and Ja9gary i ! lgloae- before National
Guard E WszT ySfss q msSiea corps
found physically disqualified for duties Of
major in medical corps, his retirement an
Captains JOSEPH WHEELER, T.. ROBERT E.
CALLAN EDWIN LANDON and CLAR..
F,NCE II M'NEIL. coast artillery, TO Fort
Monroe February 20, for examination tor
First Lieutenant MYRoN B. BowDIsH. 18th
cavalry to San Francisco, in time TO SAIL
February ). for Manila.
Leaves of absence: Second Lieutenant FRANk-
LIN L. WHITLEY. infantry one month:
Major EUGENE =. WHITMORE, medical
corps, two months.
NAVY.
Rear Admiral A. MERIT. Commander J. B.
PATTON Commander c. a. BRAND, Lieu
teraut Commanders ]. F. Lands and y.
{. HANRAHAN. Ensign T. ]. KELEHER.
Medical Insrector J. G. FIELD. Paymaster
F. T. wATROUS. Passed Assistant Pay
masters J. J. LUCHSINGER jr.. 7. z.
MCDONALD and E. 6. MORSELL, Assistant
Paymasters s. HEMPSTONE H. ". RUSk.
ir and H c. GWYNNE and Chief Machn-
ist NJ A. THORMAHLEN. commissioned.
I lieutenant w H. LASSING, to temporary duty
the Lancaster navy yard. Philadelphia. con-
nection crew the Utah, and duty on board
that vessel when conmissioned.
Ensign c. A SC9JIPFER to Temporary duty the
Lancaster. navy yard, Philadc 1hfa, connec-
ton crew the Utah and duty On board that
vessel when commissioned.