New-York tribune., 1911-04-09
ARMY AND NAVY NOTES
First Step Toward Reducing
Army Commissioned Personnel.
rFrom The Tribune Bureau. !

|
| MR. HAYS BILL-The first step in the
Democratic programme of reducing the
commissioned personnel Of the army has
been taken by the introduction of bill In
the House by Representative James Hay.
chairman of the House Military Com
mlttee, TO decrease the expense and in
crease the efficiency of the staff service Of
| the army" The bill deals with q familiar
proposition in a new form. providing that
! there shall he a consolidation Of the quar-
termaster. subsistence and pay depart
ments under one bureau of the department,
instead of the present three 10 be known
as the bureau OF supplies" tho officers To-
form n newly organized supply corps Of
the army
| This corps is to have at its head a major
general. with two brigadier generals in
subordinate place The present officers. per
manent and detailed. Of the three depart
ments would be the personnel. The new
corps would have the same number of
coloncls and lieutenant colonels rs are now
on duty in the three departments marked
for consolidation, but as vacancies oc-
CURED in the grades OF major and captain
they would bc filed until the number Of
majors was reduced by eleven and the
number Of captains by thirty-one. giving.
ultimately, forty-siy majors and one hun
dred captains
The interests Of the officers forming the
permanent personnel az distinguished from
those who are detailed from the line. are
protected by a provision in Mr. Hays bill
that if any one of them is not promoted 10
the next higher grade before retirement lie
Is to he 30 advanced when retired. BY this
means the senior colonels, who might re-
gard themselves as adversely affected by
the proposed legislation. would be retired
as brigader generals. The other officers
would be promoted one grade under the
operation Of this arrangement There would
be a decided gain in promotion to officers
IN the newly organized corps, and about
the only complaint Is likely to come from
line officers. who would find themselves de-
prived of eleven positions In the grade of
major and thirty-onc places in the grade of
captain In the staff 10 which they may he
detailed This, Of course. has the erect
Of reducing the commissioned personnel or
the army by forty-two officers. ana 1t Is
estimated by Mr. Hay that this and other
results of the legislation will effect saw
ing of about half million dollars year.
Military authorities believe that there
should be consolidation of the supply de-
partment and the pay corps. and many
officers who have given attention to army
reorganization have favored this merging
of the three departments a step in the
right direction.
There are other propositions which men,
bers Of the House Military Committee will
introduce from time to time and most of
them it is said, will aim 20 accomplish a
saving in the cost of maintaining the army
by an eventual reduction In the number or
officers. II is now asserted that the COM
mittee did not realize how many addi-
tional officers and consequent promotions
were caused by the legislation enacted at
the last session. One member very candid
ly states that an effort will be made TO
have Congress adopt provisions which shall
reduce the number of officers by nearly as
many as were authorized by the army ap-
preparation act Of March 3.
ORDERS IssUED.-The following orders
have been issued
ARMY.
Colonel LOUIS W. CHAMPION. medical corps,
from Philippines, september IL, 10 san
Lieutenant Colonel WILLIAM ". GIBSON;
ordnance department. from Walter Reed
General Hospital. District OF Columbia, TO
Major CHARLES Mex. sALTZMAN, signal
corps. to Fort Wood. for temporary duty
pertaining 10 signal corps general suppl!
depot: on completion OF this duty return
to Washington -,.
Tor cT duty S,i pendins ga arrival Of 7th Infantry
Major BANfEL J. CARR. from duty as
chief signal officer Department OF the
Missouri and from commend mar, sdi For, o9sn osSrs
Ger in charge Washing ton Alaska military
Richard T. THOMPSON. TO st. Paul, as
cef signal pSer DspaT1meni Sf Dak3s; % d@sy
az chief signal oficer. Department Of the
Missouri, relieving Major Carr.
| Captain CHARLES u. VIM. coast ARTILLERY. ,
assume charge construction work at Fort
Screver. vice First Lieutenant LOUIS {.
BRINTON. Jr.. coast artillery
Following promotions Porto Rico regiment OF
infantry announced: WILLIAM H. AhM-
STRONG to caputain: DANIEL RoDRl-
GUEZ 10 first lieutenant.
SAMUEL ]. TCENBUI.L and ALFRED
+ CPsHUR, medical reserve to san An
tonic and report in person TO commanding
general nanopuvre division.
First Lieutenant CHARLES J. BOEHS. mod
ical reserve corps, to Pittsburg Barracks.
RTTHERS. comnissary. from date of re-
lief fron, duty AT Boston 30 dat" Of de,
parturc FOR san Francisco and viii sail
FOR Philippines May :: Major JAMES
\ GOODWIN. 7th Infantry two months.
NAVY.
Ensign L. \. EWING, detached the Smith;
leave two months
Ensign c { CLARK. detached the Maryland;
% the Princeton
Surgeon F. g. COOK, 30 command naval hos
pi'al, navy yard. Puget Sound.
Passed Assistant surgeon G.. II. HALE. Dc
tached the Idaho. homo. await ordcis
Passed Assistant Surgeon ]. u. MANClES.
TER detache ed recruiting station: TO naval
hospital. naval training station. North
Passed Assistant Surgeon ". B. SMITH. TO
naval hospital. Annapolis
Passed Assistant Surgeon g. r. ELY. detached
naval hospital. Philsdephia' to naval
proying grounds. Indian Head. ,....,
naval mcdican school Washington, 10
naval station. Guam.
Assistant surgeon r. W BROWN, detached
naval PROVING ground. Indian Head. ami
Passed Assistant Paymaster W. y HIGhEs,
dftahced the Dixie. 10 duty as nav officer
torpedo boat fetilla Norfolk.
Assistant Paymsster \. O. HEARNE. detached
duty a. assistant ray officer on the Dixie.
10 duty pay officer on tho Dixie.
Carpenter i L. JONES m navy ward. Boston.
Taymaster's Clerk J. 7. MULCAHY. appoint
mont to duty on the Dixie revoked.
MOVEMENTS OF WARsHIPs-Tho fol-
lowing movements Of vessels have been re
ported to tie Navy Department
ARRIVED
AIril S-Thc Perkins. tho Drsvton. and the
Burrows. at Annapolis The Burrows. at
Baltimore. the Dolphin. at Washington.
thc Brutus. nj NorfoIk: the smith the
Lamson. The rlusscr and The Preston. At
Annapolis. The Roe. az Norfolk; the YES
al. al navy yard, New YORK.
SAILED
April The Burrows. from Annapolis for