Evening star., 1914-10-25

able, some of the militia do very
Icreditable work.
Speaking of the rare opportunities
| for the development of the siege ar
tillery commands among the organized
militia, Gen. Weaver says:
THE general views of the chief of
J coast artillery in regard to the posi-
ton of siege artillery IN the orSan1za-
| ton of the land forces OF the United
States, and its relation to the arms of
the service. are in harmony with those
expressed by the department COM
ganization of the land forces should
provide clearly and definitely for an
adequate siege artillery force.
AT least one regimental unit OF
and kept fully equipped at an times,
| in order to keep abreast of the pos
sibilities of siege artillery service in
its highest degree of efficiency as prac-
ticed in the most recent campaigns,
and as followed in the training and
instruction of first-class foreign mill
tary organizations
"1t is believed that siege artillery
service lends itself particularly to the
conditions and opportunities, in so far
as time and means are concerned, of
| the personnel of the organized militia.
1t is believed that it is better adapted
the state forces. and promises more
satisfactory measure of war efficiency
| than either field or coast artillery. The
difficulties which have heretofore ex-
listed in regard to developing field ar
tillery among the organized militia
have been practically insurmountable
in SO far as providing suitable horses
is concerned.
taken up coast artillery and wherever
suitable equipment has been supplied
to their armories in the way of dummy
armament and accessory equiv ment ex-
cellent results have been obtained. The
difficulty has been in the great cost
| involved in equipping the armories of
/ the state forces with the dummy coast
! armament, and also in getting ade-
quate numbers of the coast artillery
militia by reason of the restriction i'm
posed by the requirement that such Or
CARNATIONS must must be limited to the
peculiar to the field artillery nor those
peculiar to the coast artillery apply to
siege artillery. At the same time all
interesting features of service charac
teristic of both field and coast artillery
apply to siege artillery in so far the
organized militia is concerned. 1t would
supply the armories of militia organi-
cations with full complement of serv-
ice siege artillery equipment. The
gunnery features of the training, the
| with. and the fire control features
could all be carried on with the service
equipment in the armories of such
! organizations: The field duties, in
work and field fortifications, could be
executed in the immediate vicinity of
the respective homes of militia siege
artillery organizations or in 'connec-
t1on with the summer maneuVerS. The
difficulty in regard to providing suit
able horses or draft animals that has
been experienced in connection with
the field artillery service of the mill
tia would not apply to siege artillery,
for the reason that the only need of
horses is purely for draft purposes
and this could be supplied either
through traction motors or through
such heavy draft animals as can read
lily be picked up in connection with
any emergency. All that portion of
field artillery training which is in
volved in the training of the animals
and in having animals of special quail
ties does not apply to siege artillery"
The Non-Commissioned officers AS
sociatfon of the list Infantry is Sched-
uled to hold meeting in the quarters
Of Company e, Center Market Armory,
| tomorrow night at o'clock. The mat
ter of the organization of a drill team
| is to be taken up at this meeting, it is
said.
During the temporary absence of
Capt. Lucien B. Ernest, Company X will
be under the command Of Lieut.. Martin
| Maj. Boyd Taylor. former disbursing
officer Of the organized militia of the
District of Columbia, is liable to the
amount of SIS. paid by him to Post
/, @ NJ Sergt Bernard p Shields.
As communication of rations at the rate
| of $3.50 a day, while on duty at Har-
pers Ferry, w. Va. in connection with
| the encampment of the National Guard
| of the District of Columbia last year
| the allowance was made to Shields
| This allowance. it is decided by the
| controller Of the Treasury. George E.
| DoWney, has no authority in law This
| ruling confirms the disallowance of the
auditor Tor the War Department and
denies the appeal of Maj Taylor
Special orders of July 1s. 1919 di-
rects Post Q. M. Sergt Shields to
proceed to Harpers Ferry and pro
vide for a commutation of subsist-
ence at $3.50 a day. from July %
to August 81 inclusive. In none of the
conditions specified in the acts of an
propriations by Congress, says Con-
| troller Downey. nor in regulations for
payment OF communication Of rations is
| there to be found provision to fit this
case: or to authorize the payment.
4 All that a regular army Soldier
| would have been entitled to under like
conditions of service, he considers,
| would have been subsistence in kind.
That is all the militiamen was entitled
| plicab BILE to him.
Ask for Tolman Laundry Family Wash