Evening star., 1915-01-03

cises of the National Guard
| of the District of Columbia
will be resumed tomorrow night. The
schools for officers and non -commis'
stoned officers of the command also
will be resumed. When the drills and
schools begin tomorrow night it will
half of the current drill season which
| ends with the annual encampment OF
the local National Guard.
The question of a site for the next
annual encampment Of the District Ma
tional Guard will soon become one
of the important matters to be set
tied. Aside from the question of i
site, the real important matter in con-
nection with the encampment will be
how the guard is going to be sup
ported in camp, in view of the fact
that the War Department has cut a
big hole in the funds which ordinarily
will be used for the camp.
Owing to shortages in War Depart
ment property charged to the local
ment has taken about $4,000 of the
federal allotment Of the current year
to pay for the shortage. The local
National Guard, it is declared, was
not the only militia organization when
showed a large shortage as result
of the 1912 inventory. Practically
every state had large shortages, and
the War Department is just calling for
settlement.
The shortage of the property which
is now being charged by the depart
ment is not so much due to actual
loss as it is to failure to properly ac-
count for it Up until 1912 there was
no strict method of accountability as
now prevails in the guard and no
accurate account was kept of property.
For instance, when certain property,
issued to company commanders, be-
came old or worn out with wear, the
commanders, instead of having 1t sur
yeyed and condemned and checked OH
the guards account, would throw IT
away, it is declared, with the result
that when the 1912 accounting was
ordered thousands Of dollars OF prop
erty was missing.
1t is this loss and the requirement. ~
of the War Department that the Dill
the efficiency of the guard during the
current drill season which Will emo
with the 1915 encampment. 1t must
be remembered that cut or $ii'OVo II,
the funds of the local National Guard
is a big one and cannot but resuit
in hampering the advancement OIL lhe
organization.
Ali along 1t had been supposed that
the War Department would suspend the
payment of this bill, in view of the fact
that the property which could not be
accounted for was not really lost or
stolen, but was property which coulo
be of no further use for military pur-
poses. In the states, it is pointed out,
the legislatures have appropriated
money to pay for the losses, thus leav-
ing the federal allotment intact for the
purpose of drawing additional equip
ment and for paying the camp ex-
penses. However, the only way in
which the matter could be remedied for
the District would be to have Congress
set aside the money for the credit OF
the District and then have 1T trans
ferred to the War Departments ac-
counts. 1t is probable that efforts will
be made to have an urgent deficiency
bill passed to cover this shortage.
The requirement of the War Depart
ment that the District pay it's shortage
bill along with the states has put the
District National Guard in an embar-
rassing position. In recent circular
the War Department is requiring the
District organization, along with the
others, to have certain clothing equip
ment before the annual inspection of
1915, and the organizations will not be
allowed to use the federal funds until
they have complied with the circular.
The District organization has not all
of the clothing required in the recent
circular, nor has it funds to buy the
required equipment, and probably will
not be able to get even a small part of
it If the department insists upon the
payment of the shortage bill.
The shortage of 1912 does not mean