Norwich bulletin., 1914-12-17
MORE PAY WOULD MAKE
 c. N. G. MORE POPULAR.
7risadier General Cole Wants to See
 The Militia Pay Bill Passed.

That the ranks of the National Guard organizations of the states of the Union should be the training education, was the opinion of Briga- dier General George NJ Cole. the ad- jutant general, c. N. G., and other military officers.
 Brigadier General Cole when ques- toned as to what steps could be taken to render service in the Ma tionaI Guard more attractive to the other words, what were the best re- wards to be offered the citizenry for training in arms, replied that 1t hinged a great deal upon the pass age of the so-called militia pay bill which was rather bill designed to reimburse the militiamen for their expenses incurred in gle service of the National Guard, and to do away with the dues, actually prohibitiVe in some instances, eXacted from mem bers of many military organizations.
 These men give freely of their time from recreation, often sacrificing the better part of their annual va cations to the work of the Guard . he said, ''and often are forced to take time from their regular occu- pations. Often the time which a man feels obliged to take for the
 
 the case of the officers-interferes se- riously with his money earning ca- paciy, and after three or four years in the Guard he finds that he cannot continue in it with the sacrifice it en- tails in the purchase of equipment, travelling expenses and so forth. If such a man could be assured of ade- quate compensation for the expense he incurs in performing the work of the organization, he would in all probabih- ty remain in it, to his great advantage in military experience and to the ben- eft of the organization as a whole"
 Both General Cole and Major Shuttleworth, U. s. A., on duty with the Connecticut National Guard, were interrogated as to the expense to the national government if the bill were passed. About $15.0Oo,0o yearly for the miSEia of all the states was their estimate.
 And no expenses ought to stand in th5 way of insurance against in- vasion," added Major Shuttleworth-
 Connecticut said General Cole Ifs doing all that it can to render its National Guard organization at- tractive and desirable things to join from social and athletic standpoint in the way Of gymnasiums, clubroomS encampments, and so forth If the men were recompensed by the federal gov- ernment for the expenses that they A4lSNA4 III L4AS SCIN1S6s 1uOIGONCEs IL WOulN be more in the nature of a contract to defend the government in its time oi need, and would create an obligation to do so that could not help but re. suit in increased efficiency.
 Colonel Cowles, U. s. A., retired when interviewed repeated his in- | dorsement of the Connecticut Ma. l tional Guard which he made in 191: at the close of the field maneuvres | of that year, and said that the field training of the organization showed a decided improvement over tlat which he had noted in other Nation l al Guard organizations. All the or | ficers interviewed, however, were heartily in favor of recruiting thC Connecticut contingent to norma peace strength. For example, the pres, ent strength of the First regiment, c N. G., is 47 officers and 7i5 enlisted men, which. taking out the staff of. fcers, average less than 50 men fol each of the Is companies. The norma peace strength is 65 men per company | of infantry, to be increased to 15t 1 men in time of war.