The Washington herald., 1911-10-22

when not excused by the governor 1t
is therefore clearly within the province of
the governor to excuse organizations
from so attending, and this provision is
inserted in the law apparently for the
purpose of enabling the State to meet an
emergency which might arise during that
part of the year usually devoted to en-
campmentS.
Second. AS to the requirement for as
sembly for drills or target practice
twenty-four times per year. it is within
aside, his authority to excuse applying
to the five consecutive days of encamp-
ment or practice march only.
AS to the character of the twenty-four
assemblies or rendezvous, they may be
for either drill and instruction" or for
target practice" 1t is merely neces-
sary that the number of assemblies for
drill and instruction added to the num-
Der of assemblies for target practice shall
be at least twenty-four per year. There
being tifty-two weeks in the year, mani
testify twenty-four meetings is not an
unreasonable requirement 1t therefore
becomes necessary merely to determine
what constitutes an assembly or rendez-
vous for target practice, or for drill and
instruction. Clearly the law contem-
plates that these shall be so interpreted
as TO secure reasonably bentficial re-
suits.
Accordingly, the Secretary OF War has
decided that to constitute a rendezvous
either for drill and instruction or for
target practice, there must be present
at least one commissioned OUlCer ana
minimum enlisted attendance of thirty
five men for each company, troop, or
battery of infantry, cavalry, field artll-
lery. engineers, and Signal Corps. and
units. But with the further idea of
carrying on a progressive scheme of in
struction, passing from smaller to larger
subdivisions or units. and also of af-
meeting the requirements of the law,
to, the number of drills, it has been de-
Cided that a smaller number Of enlisted
men than thirty-ffve may drill or have
target practice and yet take credit for
this work toward securing the twenty
four drill and target frings. Thus, If
there are two platOOnS in the company
and each one holds one drill, this would
De counted as one of the twenty-four,
provided the aggregate attendance at
the platoon drills were at least one Off
Ger and thirty-tive enlisted men. SINH
larly, if the company contained four sec
ticns and each section held one drill. il
would count as one of the twenty-fOur
drills, provided the aggregate attendance
were one officer and thirty-five enlisted
men. Again, were one officer and an
average of seven enlisted men present
al five target firingS, il would count as
one. of the twenty-four assemblies or
rendezvous.
that certain other conditions be also full
filed. Thus, if the same platoon with
the same men drill four times, in neither
case could it be considered as one COM
struction to the entire personnel of the
company and this would not be accom-
plished by limiting the instruction to
small part of the company only; as, for
instance one section, no matter how
many drills that particular section might
hold, If the other three sections had no
instruction or practically none. 1t has
therefore been decided that credit for
drills of less than thirty-five enlisted
men can only be taken when the differ
ent men or individuals who attend num-
her at least thirty-five. For instance, if
seventeen men attended one of the
platoon drills and eighteen different men
attended one of the other platoon drills,
credit could be taken for one of the
twenty-fOur drills required. And in the
same way. to illustrate, if one officer
and ten enlisted men attended one tar
get firing, eighteen different men an
other, and seven another, it would count
as one of the twenty-four drills or re-
devious required.
In reply to an inquiry the division of
militia affairs, War Department, has de-
Clared that sergeants of infantry should
be armed with the revolver for police
and provost duty. In the District Guard
the First Battery, Field Artillery, and the
Signal Corps are armed with the re-
volver. Up to this year the District Sig
nal Corps Company has been armed with
the rife, but the Springhelds are now
being turned in and that company will