Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-02-07
Engineers of the Nation
Urge House to Provide
Officers Reserve Corps

William Barclay Parsons OF New
York, representing the American So
ciety of Civil Engineers; Henry 5.
Drinker of South Bethlehem. Pa. pres
ident of Lehigh University. represent
ing the American Institute Of Mining
Engineers; Maj. William H. Wiley Of
New York. representing the American
Society of Mechanical Engineers; Raeil
D. Mershon of New York. the American
Institute of Consulting Engineers. and
Bion ]. Arnold. Chicago, representing
the American Association of Electrical
Engineers, advocated before the House
military committee today the officers
reserve corps features of the Hay army
with a view to utilizing
the willing services of civil. electrical.
mechanical and mining engineers and
others having technical knowledge
provision under which they and those
they represent would have the oppor-
tunity to offer themselves for enlist
ment in the officers reserve corps, to
serve Without a1d pay except II eon
tended that every man should have
some kind of military training.
Insurance Against War.
I'm a Quaker" said Mr.. Drinker.
but / believe in training as an in
surance against war"
You can drill a man in a month or
two" said Maj. Wiley, but you can't
train him within a year or two
THE Germans owe their success to
the fact that they have the material
and have known what to do with 1t,
said Mr. Mershon, who said not only
he m
trical and otherwise, ready and anx-
ious to respond to the need of experts
in the reserve corps for use in time of
need, but he urged action under
which the students at land grant col
leges and at other places whenever
army officers are stationed to drill
students should be provided for under
the reserve corps features OF pending
military legislation.
The boys need the discipline which
they nowadays lack at home and in
school; they don't get thrashings any
more, and they do need some sort Of
discipline, and their training to obey
will help in Industrial life as well as
in military life Mr.. Mershon said that
there are $4,000 young men subject to
drill under arms in colleges where army
officers are stationed as military in
structors.
Praises Engineer Corps.
Mr.. Parsons said there was nothing
but praise to be given the present
army Engineer Corps. but that the
army engineers admit. as the civil en-
gineers realize. that the army En-
gineer Corps is deficient in numbers to
meet possible demands in wartime. He
cited troubles that England has ex-
perienced along this line in the present
war.
The United States coasts are abso-
lutely unprotected except by forts at
the principal harbors. Mr.. Parsons
suggested. IF this country was ever
called on to defend itself against for
elgn attack, we would have to prepare
TO defend these long. unprotected
stretches of coast line
IF there is one lesson that the Eu-
ropean war has taught US 1t Is that a
large force of troops can be landed on
foreign shores and taken away again,
as at Gallipoli. We fye men appearing
today represent engineer organizations
we would willingly bring to the use OF
the United States government reserve
To Train Civilian Engineers.
IF this country waits until there is
an outbreak of war and then starts ia
get engineers into the army. it's going
be TOO ldte-yOu are gong 10 gel
the wrong men in the wrong places
such an officers reserve as contemplat.
ed. with the use of expert engineers
without pay. except during brief ma
neuvers or in war time. would enable
the War Department to select such mer
as IL wants from civil ranks, who
could be classified according to rail.
| road, sanitation, water supply ant
| other special lines Of work.
| You say a large part Of our coast linz
in unprotected" asked Representative
Gordon of Ohio. Army officers have
testified here that a mobile force is neces
sary to defend those places. Would thai
increase the necessity Of these en-
gineers?'
yes. it would" replied Mr. Parsons
THE places which an enemy would seiec
for landing are those where there are M
railroads and no highways. and we woule
have to build trenches and provide high
ways or temporary railroads. gun founda
tioGs and 10 on We have got to pro
vide against an enemy getting past tn
first line Of defense-the navy-and ef
fecting a landing" All the wttnesse.
'favorsS t1e pending Hay bill. with amend