The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1914-06-25
SUPPORT IS WITHDRAWN
REQUISITION FOR S. c. MILITIA
REJECTED.
War Department Withholds AiC
Pending Adjustment of Claims
for Lost Property.

Columbia, June 24.-Yesterday
there was received at the office of
the adjutant general the following
letter from Gen. A. L. Mills, chief of
the division of militia affairs, United
States war department.: ITO the
Adjutant General of South Carolina:
I'm a letter dated June 16, 1914,
the secretary Of war advises the
governor of South Carolina as fol-
lows:
"Referring to your requisition of
May II, 1914, for ordnance and quar-
termaster supplies for the use Of the
organized militia of your State, Ire
gret to inform you that in view of the
failure of the authorities of South
Carolina to comply with the federal
laws which govern the care, account
ability and disposition of government
property in the possession of the or
ganized militia, the war department
is obliged to suspend further issues
of government property and funds to
the organized militia of South Caro-
lima, and to withhold authority for
the expenditure of government funds
by the militia of S. C.. until the
delinquent matters are taken up by
the State and brought to satisfac-
tory settlement.
when the organized militia Of
South Carolina is placed on a salts
factory basis, the war department
will consider the withdrawal of the
restrictions of which you are inform
ed in this communication and which
are effective on and after this date.
"Requisitions for quartermaster
supplies submitted on April "a and
May II, 1914, and ordance supplies
submitted May II, 1914, are, in &C
cordance with the action of the Sec
retary of war noted in the foregoing
paragraph, returned herewith. The
supplies asked for will not be issued.
"By direction of the secretary of war.
A. L. MILLS.
"Brigadier General, General Staff,
Chief of Division, For the Chief of
Staff"
Col. O. w. Babb, assistant adju-
tant general, was asked last night
how, in his opinion, the shortage
arose to which reference was made in
the letter of Gen. Mills and whether
in recent years any effort to reduce
this shortage had been made. Col.
Babb said he could not speak for
other administrations. Regarding
the policy pursued since he has been
assistant adjutant general, Col. Babb
said. 49,,
''The shortage of property mention
ed in the letter of Gen. Mills has
been accumulating for years and the
present administration has made re-
peated efforts to collect the obsolete
property.
During 1912 about 1900 old RI
f1es, lot of bayonets, bayonet scab-
bards, gun sings and other appurte-
nances were collected and shipped to
Rock Island arsenal. During 1913
about 400 old rifles and carbines, a
lot of old cartridge belts, cartridge
boxes, bayonets, bayonet scabbards,
carbine scabbards and cavalry sabres
were collected and shipped to Rock
Island arsenal. There is great
deal of this old property in the hands
of some one now and it should be
turned into the State armory, so that
the State may receive credit for it. |
will state also, that during the pres
ent administration a great number
of the old blue uniforms have been
collected. AS stated above, repeated
efforts have been made to recover this
property and with some success. The
bulk of this loss occurred prior to the
issue of the new Springfield rifle and
the olive drab uniform about 1908
and 1909, although some loss has oc-
Cured since"
OLD CLOTHES MAN WAS RICH.