The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-02-22
ARMY OF l35,OOO l IN PEACE TIMES,
 COMMITTEE PLAN
Reorganization Plan is Completed in House Bill Now is Naturalization of Militia Proposed and a Re-
 t serve Force That Will Reach 100000 in Ten Years

A men in time of war The increase on a peace basis is to be accumulated by adding ten regiments of infantry four regiments of field artillery, 52 com panies of coast artillery, and Is com panies of engineers. In addition four aerial squadrons are to be authorized. It is estimated that by adding the complementary forces of the Medical Corps, the regular army will be in creased in reality to 147, 600 men, which will be the peace footing; basis This increase calls r-@approximateIy 900 officers, as compared with 4,50o as at present.
 A new project will be authoried for the formation of cadet companies, to be composed exclusively of men desig- mated from the National Guard and the military schools. to be treated as officers Each company will com prise 100 men,. Upon appointment each man will serve one year in the regular army, and then will go into reserve. Appointments to the cadet companies will be made by the Presi- dent
 Chairman Hay said that under the bill the United States, he believed. would have total reserve army of 1s2O0, 900 men within 10 years The reserve strength, he said, depended,
  listment call.
 The committee is tentatively of the opinion thatNthe enlistment period for active service should be shortened to three years, with provision that after such active service an enlisted man shall go into the reserve for four years.
 The reserve under the present law 1t is estimated, will approximate 1O,-4 900 men by Nov. 1. With a shorter enlistment period and additional re- serves gathered from the militia it will be possible within a decade, in the opinion of members. of the com raittee, to build up formidable re- serve army of a million or more men.
 =, A Nitric Acid Plant
 Chairman Hay. regards as one of the most important sections of the forth coming bill that which relates to plant capable of turning out all kinds of ammunition required by the army It will be proposed that this plant shall be operated by the government in partnership with private capital The government, it is planned, shall furnish the water power for the oper- alton of the plant, and in time of peace, as we'll as war, shall purch ase munitions from the plant at prices l to be mutually agreed upon.
 The President will be authoried to 1 name a board to select a site for the plant, and it is to be stipulated that the plant shall manufacture nitric acid by what is known as the atmos- Pheric fxation process. Nearly all of the nitrates now used in this coun- try are purchased in Chile, and the supply might be cut off in the event of war. Members of the committee say that if the government encourages the manufacture of nitrates out of the air this country will be independent of any foreign supply. In time of peace the plant would make fertilizer and in time of war it would produce explosives The bill will make no. mention of prospective site, but it | is probable that some place on the l Tennessee river will be selected.
 On the basis of this bill the ex- penses of the army for the next fiscal year are likely to approximate at least l $155, ,0oo,00O. If the estimates of the 1 War Department had been followed 1 throughout the bill would have called for about $180500OsO0o. The House Committee contends that adequate | preparedness may. be started on it's way with an amount less than was proposed by Secretary Garrison.
 The committee has not yet begun | work on the regular army approprta- l ton bill, which will carry the money i for this part of the program of ns,- l tionaI defense, as we'll as authoriza- ton for an accompanying increase in 1 munitions, powder, ordnance stores, | field artillery, and other things per- | taining to the, military establishment | Chairman Hay said that it would l require more than a week to whip l into shape the bill, which practically | had been agreed upon, covering the | reorganization of the army and the | Liberalization of the militia. It is 1 probable that this bill will contain | as a rider the McKel1ar biIl which l has been approved by the committed | This legislation provides for the CO., | operation of the Federal government | in building up military training 1 schools.
 Forty-efght Little West Points,
 The Mcclellan bill proposes the es- tahlishment by each state of a college | for military training with a minimum | state appropriation form aintenance 1 of $40, 900 annually, the goEGrnment | to contribute $SO,0o0. Any existing | college not now a military institution l may be designated by the state. The | four-year course would be prescribed 1 by a board headed by the Secretary of War, with an army officer as assist | ant and a civilian as secretary. Stu | dents would be selected by competit- |