Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1912-10-30


master-which is impracticable- or
else one of the officers of the recently
Organized quarteTmaster corps now
stationed here will have TO take sta
ton at Leilehua-which is inconven-
lent. In the absence of orders from
the War Department assigning re-
gularIy detailed quartermaster to the
post, the Department Of Hawaii will
probably have to take the initiative,
or the army bill is plain on the point
that no regimental quartermaster can
act for other organizations than his
owns and under this ruling Captain
Watkins, the present post quarter
master, becomes ineligible for office on
thaEdate.
II might be possible to relieve Cap
ain Watkins as regimental quarter
master and continue him as post quar-
.ermaster, but at best this arrange
ment could be only temporary.
The idea of the military legislators
s evidently to keep regimental quar-
termasters and eommissaries free to
Immediately take the field with their
OWN organizations, and to do this they
must be kept clear of the accUmula-
ted business of a big post An example
Of this very thing occurred in the re-
cent maneuyers, when Captain Wat
rims was unable to accompany the
Second Infantry into the field, being
eft behind in command of the post
and with vast amount Of property
besides that belonging to his own
regiment in his charge.
OF the five officers Of the new GUAR
ternaster corps now stationed in
this department, the choice to take
permanent station at Schofield mar.
rows down to two, Capt D. B. Case.
md Captain E. H.. Cooke. The latter
is soon to be sent back to the line Of
he army. SO this leaves Captain Case,
a permanent member of the corps, the
probable selection, unless the War,
Department orders an additional quar-
&ermaster here.
Case Will BE Busy.
Captain E. H. Cooke is another Of
icer who has a knotty problem : to.
JolRe in connection with the consoli-
dation of the three departments. AS.
say officer of the department, all his
funds are subject to his cheque as
E. III. Cooke, Paymaster, u. S..
Army" On November / he will no
-onger be a paymaster, and will not be-
lble to sign his own cheques. Of
course there are ways of getting round
this obstacle, but it Instances some
of the puzzles that are constantly
coming up over consolidation. A
Until the .preeent consolation of the
staff corps Captain Case has been an
officer of the substance department,
and has been acting as depot commits
sary at Honolulu with title of assistant
10 the chief commissary of the Welt
ern Division He is now an officer Of
the Department of Hawaii, under Sae
chief quartermaster and can act as
commissary, or quartermaster, or
oaymaster, or all three. If he
takes station at Schofield Bar
racks he will probably have
10 I'LL all three positions, and his wotk
will be no sinecure. r. g." I
The policy of the War Department
during the last few months has been
to send regular quartermasters to-
army posts, so that when the new law
goes into effect on the first of next
month the post 'commissa-ies and
quartermasters could return to their
own organizations. however, Soho
field Barracks, the largest post in the
army, has been overlooked, and to-
comply with the law the Department
OF Hawaii will have to order one o.
the quartermasters on duty here to
that station. If subsequent orde.rs
sending another officer to the post are
received. no harm will have been done
but now the supposition is that with
FIVE of the quartermaster corps attach
eG to the department. the War De
partment considers Hawaii amply
supplied, and will expect the work tc
be split up between them. e..
Major Cheatham, as chief quarter
master, unquestionably belongs with
department headquarters; Captain
Edwards is needed on the construction
work, and besides, his four-year detail
l. the @. M. will be up in few
Captain Game will also be re-
lieyed soon. and he is needed to run
the depot here. and to attend to trans
rortation problems; CaDtain Cooke