Evening star., 1914-10-25

night, when inspection and in
ventory officers fell on the company
and property rooms in one grand
swoop. Every article was counted,
even if SO small as a trigger for a
gun. 1t is the first thorough counting
of property which the District Guard
has experienced in many years. and
not an officer escaped duty from par
ticipating in the task.
Officers of the 1st Infantry were de-
tailed to inspect and count the prop
erty of officers of the I'd Infantry, and
vice versa. The Signal Corps counted
the property of the battery and vice
versa, and among the companies of the
1st Separate Battalion (colored troops)
the officers were changed around by
Maj. Walker, commanding, so that a
company officer did not count his own
property.
Every man of the District National
Guard was required to have his uni
form and equipment at the armory on
that night. AS ample warning had
been given, there was no excuse for
dereliction. 1t was pointed out that
when the regular army assigns an in
spector yearly to take the property
count many men are away and tney
have the equipment with them, SO that
it is impossible to have complete
count, and the officers returns do not
show all of the property that is issued.
But the count last Thursday night
will give every detail
All efforts lately have been concen-
trated on this large detail. and little
attention has been given to other mat
ters. But after the inventory is over
the staff officers will give their at
tention to working out the details OF
instruction, etc. The drill instruction
board appointed in the general order
outlining the drills for the current sea
Ison will hold it's first session a1teF
the inventory is cleared up.
The matter of interesting the men. so
that a large attendance Will be had at
Ali drills. is one which will have much
consideration at the hands of this
board. it is said. Then the course OF
instruction as outlined in the current
drill order will be taken up to deter
mine whether it provides an emclent
program. This board will go thor
oughly into the question of improving
the efficiency of the local guard
Urgent appeals to the ,sGa seaeoast states ne $
are recommended for issue by the chief
of the coast artillery of the United
States Army in his annual report Just
made public. He points out that a
number of states have provision for
such companies, and have had them.
but have dropped them. He urges that
they be taken up again. as they will be
much needed in the event OF war
More than one-third OF the total
strength necessary to man the coast
artillery defenses would have to be
provided by the militia in time of war,
and the coast artillery chief seems to
be particularly anxious Tor all coast
| states to take up this question.
Although the law organizing the Ma
tional Guard of the District of Colum-
bia makes provision for coast artlliery
commands. it has never had snch But
| it is pointed out that this is the chance
for coast artillery command in this
| city, and the War Department is more
than willing to provide the equipment;
the oers sysnt and od sosos i men Of
regular service and 74O officers and 1s.-
531 men Of the militia to man efi-
| ciently the coast defense batteries. ac-
cording to the report of Gen weaver
who is the chief of the coast artillery.
| Chances for sieze batteries in the
organized militia also are pointed out.
This branch could be handled better
II by the militia. he says, than field ar
tiIlery. because of the horse question
Whenever militia field artillery turns
out the necessity of trained horses be-
comes a problem which would not
be presented In the case OF siege gun
! commands, as that could be provided
by traction motors
| Referring to the urgency of coast ar
tiIlery commands in the militia or
eanizations Gen. Weaver says: ut is
therefore recommended that the sea
coast states be urged anew to pro-
vide their due proportion of militia
coast artillery troops. special efforts
being made with respect to those at
present providing none. All of these
contain cities and possess interests to
which existing coast defenses are OF
Importance. In this connection it
should be noted that Maryland. vir-
ginia, South Carolina, Florida, Ala
bama. Louisiana and Texas have here
tofore had coast artillery companies
but for one reason or another have dis
banded them
THE installation Of dummy arma-
ment ip coast artillery militia armo-
ries isrDroceeding satisfactorily, and a