Evening star., 1914-12-06
AfRE11c11 GENERAL DECORATING AEeEFrcEREoRNA
r RIFLES FOR COAST PROTECTION

state forces with the dummy coast
armament, and also in getting ade-
quate numbers of coast artillery mill
tia, by reason of the restrictions inn
posed by the requirements that such
organizations must be limited to the
seaboard.
Neither the restrictions peculiar to
the field artillery nor those peculiar to
the coast artillery apply to siege ar
tillery. At the same time, all of the
attractiveness, advantages and inter-
esting features Of service characteristic
of both field and coast artillery apply
to siege artillery in so far as the or
ganized militia is concerned.
ut would be a comparatively easy
matter to supply the armories of mill
tia organizations with a full compile
ment of service siege artillery equip
ment. The gunnery features of the
training, the mechanical maneuvers
connected Herewith and the fire con-
troll features could all be carried on
with the service equipment in the
armories of such organizations. The
field duties, including all phases of
trench and sap work and field fortih-
cations. could be executed in the inn
homes of militia siege artillery or
ganizations, or in connection with the
summer maneuverS.
The difficulty in regard to providing
suitable horses or draft animals that
has been experienced in connection
with the field artillery service of the
militia would not apply to siege artil-
lery. for the reason that the only need
of horses is purely for draft purposes.
and this could be supplied either
such heavy draft animals as can read
lily be picked up in connection with an
emergency.
"All that portion of field artillery
training which is involved in the train
ing of the animals and in having ami
mails of special qualities does not ap-
ply to siege artillery"
Another reason why it was deemed
impracticable to create a siege artillery
force in the Coast Artillery Corps is
found in the fact that the coast de-
fenses now demand more men to handle
the guns already established in place
than the corps contains. The law of
1907 fixed the number of Coast Artil-
lery companies in the regular estab-
lishment at 10 with total force of
701 officers and 1891 enlisted men.
That was a meager allowance for con-
tinental United States
But on TOD OF Inat twenty -hte com-
panies have been taken away for over
sea service. For example. eleven com
panies are now stationed In the Philip
pines, eight in Hawaii and six on the
Panama Canal Zone. Within a few
months the oversee contingent will be
swollen to forty-nine companies, leav-
ing only 121 companies for the fortifi-
cations at home. The Philippines are
to have twenty-four companies, Ha-
waii thirteen and Panama twelve.
Congress thought that the organized
militia Of the seacoast states, through
forming Coast Artillery Reserve COM
panies. could AXE up the deficiency,
furnishing at least half of the per-
sonnel required for manning the guns
and mortar batteries of continental
United States. The organized militia
has not done this by half. So the
boss of the big guns" with perfectly
good guns on hand, has only about
one-third enough men to do the work.
Moreover, he is getting robbed right
an6 left. This Coast Artillery service
is a very technical one.
It develops electricians of high or
der. and, in It's sturdy fleet of mine
planters and artillery post tenders, of
which Gen. Weaver, by the way. is ex-
officio admiral, it develops also ma
rine engineers and deck crews. Com
mercial institutions grab of many of
those men about the time they get
thoroughly well trained. and the corps
has to train new batch.
Hence the problem of getting the
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