The Hawaiian gazette., 1915-09-07
Applications Of officers For Ex-
tension Of Period Of Service
Cause Confusion
TOO MANY ARE FILED
FOR GOOD OF SERVICE
Secretary Garrison Therefore Is
sues Order Requiring Requests
6 Months Before Tour Ends

number of officers now serving in
The Hawaiian department will be af-
fected by the recent decision of the
secretary of war that there shall be no
extension of the period of foreign ser
vice prescribed by legislation, unless
officers who are DESTROYS of remaining
on that duty beyond the two years
named by law in the case of service
in the Philippine Islands and three
years in the case Of service in the Ha.
waiian Islands and the Canal Zone,
shall have made application for the
extension at least six months before
the expiration of the period. The
secretary Of war was led TO adopt this
ruling, which has been communicated
to the officers most directly concerned,
by the numerous applications received
from officers on duty in the Hawaiian
department after the war department
orders regarding transfers affecting
officers in Hawaii had been made
known.
Position Of Secretary Garrison
To make any change at such a time
would result in much delay and con
fusion and operate, in addition, as an
individual hardship, which Mr.. CARR,
son felt justified in preventing lie
takes the position that when an officer
has been designated for transfer, it is
too late, in Justice TO all others con.
terests of the army, for an Application
IN ha al 9 h.,
vidual tour of duty. The law which
prescribed the period OF duty in the
Philippine Islands and in the IIa-
waiian Islands and Canal Zone i,u-
lated that the only exception to he
made was in the casesrof those. officers
and enlisted men vi no, expressed 1o-
sire to remain beyond the time desig-
mated 1t was found carly in the pro-
| ceedings, upon inquiry made by Gen
eral Barry, that few officers chose to
remain beyond the two.year tour of
duty in the Philippines.
Oahu Applic ations Prompts Order
A greater percentage Of officers w2a
willing to stay beyond the three-ycar
tour of duty in the Canal Zone, but
the bulk of the applications came from
the Hawaiian department recently,
after the orders were out providing for
| the transfers, and it was this incidcn"
hat led Mr.. Garrison to adopt his rule
requiring such applications to he made
six months before the expiration of the
tour of duty in order to permit plenty
of time for the exchange of CORE.
>pondcnce between Washington and
| Manila, for example, whore ordinarily
three months is consumed in &c ting a
letter from Manila to Washington and
the reply back to Manila
Besides, Mr.. Garrison believes that
an officer on duty il the Philippine
Islands, knowing of the approach Of
the date of his termination of du
there, should have it in mind well in
advance whether or not he wants to
stay aud to make such a desire known
20 the war department; and, Of course,
the same observation applies to officers
on duty in Hawaii and the Canal Zone.
Otherwise, if applications for exten-
sion of the tour of duty wcr" permitted
without any department restriction
upon the date of filing, there would he
greater annoyance and uncertainty
than exist now, and those character
istics have been sufficiently in evidence
Turing the past, few months regarding
the projected transfer of officers.