The Hawaiian gazette., 1911-03-21
MAY INCREASE
TERM OF SERVICE
LACK OF MEN IN ARMY MAY
MEAN THREE YEARS TOUR
HERE INSTEAD OF TWO.

While there will be no enthusiastic
approval Of the proposition TO extend
the period Of service Of troops at tropi.
cal stations. such decision on the part
Of the President may serve the useful
purpose Of calling attention to the
necessity of an increase in the military
force, says the Army aud Navy Regis
ter II was very clearly shown by
Major General Leonard Woud, chief OF
staff of the army, In hearing before
the house appropriations committee
| when the canal Notifications we're
under discussion, that the army must
be increased II the demands upon that
service were TO be adequately met with
a maintenance of efficiency
| 1t was disclosed in the course of that
hearing that there must be an unusual
draft upon the military force now sta
toned at posts in the United States in
order to furnish total garrison for the
lsthmus of Panama OF at least 6300
men, of which the mobile army will
! supply 5000 That force is to consist
it would appear, Of four regiments OF
infantry, one squadron of cavalry, three
batteries of field artillery and twelve
companies of coast artillery.
Then, there will be ultimately six
regiments Of infantry in the Hawaiian
Islands and it is quite evident that
there can be no decrease in the army
stationed in the Philippines. This sit
uation represented by occupation of
posts in the Philippines, Hawaii and on
the isthmus can be met only by with.
drawing troops from many Of the posts
where they are now stationed in this
country and by increasing, by possibly
one year, the tour of duty at these
distant places.
There has been objection, and iustifi-
able objection, to making the period
of duty at tropical stations longer than
two years, but those in authority are
convinced that the increase in the
period viii not imperil army health or
diminish military efficiency.
The hearing before the house appro-
priatiOn committee in charge Of the
sundry civil bin concerning the esti.
mates for the fertilization of the
Isthmian Canal includes the following
testimony, the chairman on that occa-
sion being Representative j. A. Taw.
ney.
House Debate.
The Chairman-There is one question
about the troops that want to INQUIRE
about. Where would these troops be
drawn from Six thousand or seven
. thousand, / understand, would be the
permanent garrison, including the coast
/ artillery.
General Wood-About five thousand
in the mobile army and about thirteen
, hundred in the coast artillery. They
[ would have to be taken from the in.
fantry garrisons in the United States,
} and we would have to withdraw the gar.
D rlsons from certain number of posts.
The Chairman-Ths would contem-
/ plate increasing the army if the force
Q was taken from the United States, and
I it was contemplated to keep the force
in the United States at the present
' strength9
! General Wood will be frank. We
!, are confronted with this problem Of
4 putting four regiments of infantry on
the canal and probably six in Hawaii
and keeping our force in the Philip.
e pines, and we have thirty regiments.
s If we garrison these places, as we really
J ought to do, after our enormous ex-
I penditure Of money, we can only do
+. 1t by withdrawing troops from the va.
J. rious posts in the United States, and
d we have decided to go ahead and with.
draw them as the necessity arises.
The Chairman-It will mean an in.
crease if you want to maintain the
present strength of the army in the
United States3
General Wood-It would, eventually
! If you want to keep the same number
4 of troops in the United States.
The Chairman-It would not be pos.
sible to maintain an army ON the 18th.
mus of Panama for more than two years
4 at a timef
: General. Wood-We feel now that It
Is perfectly safe to keep the troops
5 there three years. As matter Of fact,
a our men do not reenlist, only about
thirty-five per cent. and so YOU would
not have troops there on an average
of more than three years, / should say.
y We are considering now the lengthen-
t ing Of the term of service in the Philip.
A pines.
The Chairman-Have you made any
estimate of the cost of transporting the
It army and offieersf
vi General Wood-We included that in
y the 100000 additional.
d The Chairman-The transportation
e of troops, officers and supplies7
a. General WoOd--Yes, sir. We intend
i. to keep the troops down there on a
IS war footing with very light equipment
y We arc really reaching point where
n we are confronted with the abandon.
e ment of good many of our home sta.
q tions. do not see anything else to
n be done.
Il The Chairman-Certainly if we are
q going to create the necessity for gar
e risoning the insular possessions and
territories that we do not own we will
either have to increase the army at
home or take the army we have there
for that purpose9
General Wood-That is absolutely
true.
n "Undesired' Extension.
II This colloquy is important as indi
= eating the urgent necessity of an in
crease of the army. 1t is not apparent
how the demands upon the service ear
,t be fully and effectively met by any
le other process. Temporary relief, it Il
- true, may be afforded by the abandon
~ ment of Dosts at home and by the nm