The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-10-20
@QATIONAu GUARD WILL HAVE
 440,000 ENLISTED MEN AND
 17,0O0 TRAINED OFFICERS
President Authorized to Draft Guardsmen for National
 Defense and Officers and Men Will Receive Training in Army Schools.

serve, with a provision that at the end of one years service any enlist ed man within the continental limits of the United States may be dis charged if he has become proficient soldier in that time. Postmasters of the second, third, and fourth classes are authorized to recruit for the army, and enlisted men in the reg per year to enable the government to keep in touch with them.
 An Officers Reserve corps is pro- vided which will authorize the com missioning of civilians up to and in- cluding the grade of major. These re- serve officers are >to be selected and trained in time of peace, and the of ficers so obtained will be far better prepared than any volunteers that could be raised hurrledly at the out break of war. In order to obtain many of these officers a reserve of ficers'. training corps is authorized, to be composed of units at the various colleges, academies, and universities throughout the country where miI- tary instruction and training will /be given, and these students may be given six weeks field training each summer in addition. ~
 An enlisted reserve corps is author .fzed for duty in engineer, signal, quartermaster corps and ordnance and medical departments, which will provide railway operatives, chauf- feurs, hospital attendants nurses bakers, cooks, telegraphers, etc., for the branches of the army mention ed. 44
 Training camps to be conducted by regular army officers are authorized for civilians who are, unable, to se- cure military training otherwise. All the expenses of such camps are borne by the Federal government, includ- ing transportation, uniforms, subsis- tence, and equipment. The period of days in a year.
 Undr the act the National Guard, as the organized militia will now be known, will consist of approximately 17,000 officer3 and 440.00O enlisted men, to conform to that of the reg ular army. as will also it's equipment and armament. The enlistment pe- riod in the National Guard will be for six years, three with the colors and three in reserve. The President is authorized to draft the National Guard into the, serviee of the United States, and to draft additional men to keep these units at war strength. Horses are to .be furnished mounted organizations of the guard, with a provision for their care and main tenance. The training of the Na1 tional Guard will consist of not lesj than AS periods of armory training of not less than one and one-half hours each, and days field train ing. National Guard officers and en- listed men may be sent to the vari- ous army service schools for instruc- ton and while there receive pay. In order to provide for the regular army officers necessary for duty with the National Guard, at the various colleges where military instruction is given by army officers, and for other
 than organizational duty, an addi- tionaI 1,022 officers over and above the number required to- be with | troops are authorized.
 l 10 encourage target practice, the Secretary of War is authorized to es- tablish ranges and to supply rifles ammunition, and instructors for rifle clubs throughout, the country.
 The President is also authorized in
 time of war to compel munition fac
 tories to furnish supplies and arms
 that are needed. A board of mobil- fzation of industries is created to in
 vestigate prtvately-owned plants
 suitable for the e>manufacture of arms
 and ammunition in order to ascer- tain the capacity of the country ir the furnishing of munitions, and the
 ordnance department is authorized tc prepare in time of peace neces,sar, tools specially required for the manu. facture of arms, ammunition, etc., SC Ithat they may be ready if needed al lany time.
 For the production of nitrate ne
 cessary in the manufacture of am
 mutation, a plant or plants are au
 thorized, and an appropriation O.
 $29, 100000 made for their erection. I A further provision of the act ii
 designed for the protection of tn,
 uniform of the army, navy and ma lrine corps.
 l TO secure a highly specialized corps of officers for the regular arm the corps of cadets at the Militar, I Academy is increased from about TT,
 to 1882, under the act of May 4,u916
 In addition to the National defens
 act to which have called attention the President is authorized in tim,
 of'war or when war is threatened, un der the act of April 25, 1914, to or
 ganize a volunteer army. This act
 like the National Defense act, is .
 splendid piece of constructive legis
 1ation, and with both on the statut
 books there is no doubt but that il
 case of necessity the possibility O
 raising an army which could be mad
 efficient within a reasonable tim would only be limited by the readi ness with which our citizens volun : teered for service.
 II During no administration since tn Civil War has so much been done t
 provide our country with an arm or to place within the hands of tn President the power to organize a. army sufficient for national defense and at the same time limitations ar placed upon this power to preyep the maintenance of a large standin : army by any President who migh feel disposed to do so even where n necessity therefor existed.
 Commander Evangeline Bootl
 head of the Salvation Army in Amer : ica, is suffering from a severe attac of po,,rifio xrbich hoS oopono1Jod !,