The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-04-25


scribing the duties OF the new chief.
Mai. Guy H. Preston, Fourth Cavalry,
has made q report to the War Depart
ment describing q proposed system or
Identification for public animals In the
military service. designed to replace the
system Of descriptive lists now In use Tor
dumb animals, which lists are pro-
nounced by Maj. Preston as ''notorfousiy
inenhcient In time of peace. while the
system has broken down utterly In war.
His system proposes to brand all pub
lie animals upon their entry into the
service in an alphabetical and numerical
series. The combination Of letters and
numbers permits a great variety In the
arrangement which. using four charac-
tiers, one alphabetical with three numeri-
cal. as from "A CO., to 1893 T." will
brand 4Oo0 900 animals.
1t Is proposed that the remount serv.
ice have centralized control under this
system. and that the only clerical record
regarding animals shall be kept In the
office of the chief of the quartermaster
corps, to whom periodical returns shall
be made of all animals by accountable
officers showing the location and dis
position Of all animals purchased. II ID
claimed that inspectors csn be checked
at one and required to explain the con-
demnation of TOO young horses.
There are so many vacancies in ca
detships at West Point as a result OF
the failures at the March examination
about ninety in number-that the
Secretary of War has ordered an ad-
ditional examination of candidates.
which examination will be held at
designated army posts on May Is next
The successful candidates will be ad-
mitted to the academy on July 1.
1t is quite evident that the present
first class at West Point. numbering
1854 members, will not ind on July
sufficient vacancies in the grade or
second lieutenant to accommodate all
the probable graduates. since there are
only los prospective vacancies In the
grade. including the thirty-nine vacan-
cies in the corps of engineers There
are none in the field artillery. thirty
one in the infantry. twenty-seven In
the cavalry, and eight in the coast ar
tillery corps. Among the graduates
this year is q Filipino. the second to
be graduated and for whom. under the
law, a vacancy in the grade of second
in the Philippine scouts Is
being retained. There Is also Porto
Rican, one of five now at West Point.
from that insular possession.
The advisory committee on aeronau-
tics established by the last naval ap-
act. held its hrst meeting
last Friday. converting at the War De-
partment in the ante-room of the office
Of the Secretary OF War.
The committee consists Of Brig. Gen.
George P. Scriyen. chief signal officer
of the army; Lieut.. Col. Samuel Reber.
of the Signal Corps, in charge OF mill
tary aeronautics: Capt. Mark L. Bris-
toll, director of naval aeronautics; Ma
val Constructor H. c. Richardson. at
tached to the Washington Navy Yard;
Charles d. Walcott, secretary OF the
Institution: Charles r.
chief Of the Weather Bureau:
Samuel W. Stratton. chief of the Blu
reau Of Standards: Byron r. Newton.
Secretary of the Treasury;
w. F. Durand, of Leland Stanford Uni
versity: Michael j. Pupin. of Columbia
John F. Hayford. of North
western University. and Joseph Z.
Ames. Of Johns Hopkins University.
Gen. Scriven acted as temporary
chairman. and Naval Constructor
as temporary secretary,
they being nominated after the COM
mittee was called to order by Secretary
Of War Garrison. Rules governing the
were adopted. The committee then took
a recess and submitted the rules to
the President for his approval. After
the committee will elect
permanent officers and committees.
Plans are under consideration In the
War Department by which two lists OF
eligible candidates for Philippine Scouts
will be created. One will be for non
officers Of the army, and
the other list will be for successful can
didates from civil life. Vacancies in the
Scouts will be filed first from
the noncommissioned officers list and
second from the civilians list. The
change will be simply applying to the
appointment Of Philippine Scout officers
the same principle that Is used In nlling
vacancies in the army. 1t 10 insisted
that there Is just as much reason to give
enlisted men Of the army q preference
In appointing Philippine Scout Officers as
there is in selecting officers for the army.
The last Of the so-called French spolia-
ton cases arising out Of difficulties be-