The Washington herald., 1916-07-21

| Secretary of War Baker has finally
| adopted rules and regulations governing
the work of war correspondents in the
! field with the organized militia, which
| throws considerable light upon the costs
and difficulties OF such news gathering
in the day and generation of military ac-
| livties.
Before permission can be granted to a
correspondent to accompany troops, the
sum of $1,000 must be deposited with
| the department to be drawn against for
| equipment and maintenance. Further
more. the newspaper or news organlzs =
| ton to which the correspondent is ac-
credited must give bond in the sum Of
5000 for the good conduct of the writer.
and 1t is specified in case Of an infraction
Of the rules this sum will be forfeited and
| given to any charity the Secretary of
! War may care to name.
! Additionally the correspondent will be
| required TO take an oath Of loyalty of
| the usual military form and he must agree
to abide in letter and spirit by all the
rules and regulations the army may lay
down for his guidance.
| II is provided that the correspondence
corps in a given field shall be regulated
at the discretion Of the Secretary and II
| the field is overcrowded at any time he
may see Mt TO refuse further credentials,
| until such time as II may become eNpedi-
ent to allow more correspondents TO go
10 the front. Not more than one corre-
| spondent VILE be received from any one
organization.
| Employers OF correspondents are re-
quired TO show that the men assigned to
| work with the army in the field are
regular working members Of the news
paper profession and not merely free
| lance adventurers.
| Correspondents from foreign newspa-
\ y1riI
| rigid. These men must have had expe-
| rience in other war campaigns and must
bring letters not only from the officers Of
such expeditions attesung to character,
but also letters from their Ambassador
| at Washington.
The adjutant generals ONCE OF the
army has again gained meritorious dis
| tinction for its work in connection with
| the preparedness movement and the
Mexican border trouble. The latest
achievement of this Office which reflects
great credit upon it is the preparation OF
more than 1000 nominations involving
the promotion OF line and stan officers of
the army in accordance with the terms
of the army reorganization act.
This work was performed in remark
| ably short period Of time and the quick
ness and accuracy OF preparing these
nominations attest well for the efficiency
of the adjutant generals clerical force,
Some idea of the work necessary to pre-
pare these 1000 nominations can be gain
ed from the fact that each promotion Of
q colonel involved five other promotions
down through the service.
The promotions in the infantry alone
required clerical work which covered
forty typewritten pages in finished. tabu-
lated form. The lists were made out for
the line and STAFF corps by July 1. and
sent to the Senate on July TO- Other
nominations were submitted the follow
ing day. Now that the Senate has con-
frmed nearly all these nominations, with
the exception of those indefinitely sus-
pended, it is necessary to begin the work
of engrossing the commissions.
The present expert engaged on the work
cannot engross more than thirty or
thirtyfive a day, and at this rate it is
| estimated the work will require two
months or more before all commissions
| can be made out and signed.
The clerical forces of the adjutant gen
erals office and the Quartermasters de-
partment have been working day and
night for seveal weeks in an effort to
catch up with added duties due to the
army reorganization act and this work,
of course, has been done without extra
compensation. Added to this labor, has
leen the work resulting from the mobili-
| zation of the regular army and the Ma
tional Guard along the Mexican border.
While there seems to be an extraordinary
need of extra clerks in these departments,
Congress has refused to see the situation
\ in that light.
So far, the Secretary OF the Navy has
| been in no hurry to announce the sue
| cessor to Rear Admiral Rupert Blue, in
! the post of chief OF the Bureau of Navi-
cation of the Navy Department. Ad-
miral Blue Is expected to terminate his
| present term of duty in that post as
| soon as the navy appropriation bill has
\ been signed and in the meantime, specu-
| lation is keen as to what oticer will be
named in his place.
Capt. Volney o. Chase, on duty in the
| ofice of chief Of naval operations. has
been recommended to the Secretary by
Rear Admiral Benson and it is believed
| that Capt Chase may have an excellent
chance for selection, though others
prominently mentioned are: Capt. J. S.
| Mexican, assistant for material in the
| same office; Capt. F. NJ. Bennett, COM
| mandant of the Mare Island Navy Yard;
Capt. William R. Shoemaker, recently
| commanding officer of the Arkansas;
Capt R. L. Russell. commandant Of the
Phtladelphis Navy Yard, and Commander
William A. Moffett, of the Great Lakes
Naval Training Station.
There are a number of Senators who
nave recently become converts TO the
IDEA that all heads Of War Department
bureaus should be placed on an identi-
| cal footing as to rank, pay and allow
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