The Washington herald., 1916-11-24
Army and Navy News
Best Service Column On city.

Army officers are interested in the an
nouncement by Police Commissioners
woods, OF New York that arrangements
have been completed for members of the
Home Defense League, New York's volun-
teer police force, to drill this winter un-
der direction of regular army officers.
| The tentative arrangements are well
along, as a result Of conferences between
the police commissioner and Gen. Leonard
/ WOOD, but they will not be carried out
until the members of the Home Defense
League have been heard from.
Ponce captains have been instructed to
] get In touch with the members and report
whether they favor the new scheme. The
members of the league have been SO en-
thusiastic over every step taken to In
crease the efficiency of their organization
that Commissioner Woods expects the
new arrangements to meet with the unani-
nous approval of the members
Heretofore the league companies have
been drilled in schools and various other
buildings OF limited capacity, and ar
rangements for drilling and assembling
IN large groups have been inadequate.
Most of the drilling has been conducted
by policemen Of army training. Former
army men among the police will continue
to assist In the drilling. but the work will
be directly under supervision OF officers
eh1SAShSu ny ItH "OOO,
A standard uniform has been devised
for the league members. whose number
approximately 10000. is about equal to the
| entire New York police force
|
Rear Admiral Harris has outlined to the
House Naval Affairs Committee an elab-
crate plan which the Navy Department
has developed for constructing the great
est naval base In the world at Norfolk
va He says that the plans. upon which
work already has begun, will entail the
expenditure Of some s15,O0o,OOo and will
provide facilities for taking care of thirty.
two capital ships at the Norfolk yard
where now only four can be accommo-
dated. Some 100000 for beginning work
| on the increased capacity of the yard
was asked for during the present year.
Members of the committee are inclined
to think that Uncle Sam. with his big
new navy Is somewhat in the position OF
the man who bought an automobile and
| then discovered that It would cost more
to maintain the accessories than to pay
the original purchase price.
Rear Admiral Harris indicated to the
| committee that the navy yards al
Charleston. g. c., and Mare Island, Cal
might be eliminated from the Navy De-
partment plan for extension. After say
ing that his estimates have been pre-
pared after consultation with members OF
the special commission Of the department
investigating navy yard conditions, he
| pointed out that the estimates for
Charleston and Mare Island called for
only the maintenance of existing facilities
and for no increased construction.
It is probable that Gettysburg, Pa. will
! be continued as the location Of the sum-
mer school for Junior officers Of the Ma
| rine Corps from the marine officers
school at Newport A month of practi-
cal work recently was done there by a
group Of students under command OF
| Capt. H. c. Snyder. y. S. Marine Corps
1t is expected that Gettysburg will have
! 100 of these student officers for a month
or six weeks next summer. The program
| for extending the marine service will
make the commissioning OF 200 new stu
dent officers a necessity. and half OF these
will be scheduled for the special course
of study at Gettysburg in 1917, the re-
mainder visiting the summer school the
| following year.
For these 900 appointments. there have
been received already something like
1000 applications, indicating the increas-
| ing popularity OF this branch OF the serv-
| ice
Capt Snyder Is authority for the state
ment that Gettysburg is an ideal loca-
| ton for a summer school. There are IA
cilities to enable the students to make
maps indicating places for locating
| troops, the sites of various Notifications,
and other defenses. The work Is pat
termed after that which they would be
called upon to execute in the event of
landing a force OF marines In hostile
country during active war operations.