Evening star., 1916-08-24
FAVORS HALF YEAR
MILITARY SERVICE
Or. Edward 0rton, Jr., Dis
cusses Various Aspects OF
Enforced Training.
PERIOD WOULD ENHANCE
PROSPECTS OF SCHEME
Men Could Attend Camps Without
Materially Interfering With
Industrial Pursuits.

DR. Edward Orton. jr.. in response
to a request of the Association for
National Service for his opinion rela-
tive to two features of the proposed
bill for compulsory military training.
drafted by Capt. George V H. Mosely,
and which draft is now in the hands of
Senator George Z. Chamberlain chair
man of the committee on military af-
fairs. United States Senate. has written
treatise on the two points i'll ques-
ton, the provision that the training
shall be for a period of six months, and
that it shall be given during the calen-
dar year in which the youth reaches
the age of eighteen.
DR.. Orton was for many years dean
of the Engineering School of the Ohio
State University. He says:
"On the question as to whether the
required military service should be six
months or one year, would say that
favor six months. 1t is perfectly true
that this is insufficient time to
thoroughly instruct soldier, and to
get him into bodily condition to do
the heavy work of soldier. One year
is vastly better. and in my opinion II
would he possible to make a pretty
good soldiers from our American youth
in a year.
Reasons for Short Term
My reasons for recommending the
shorter time are:
1T is a long step ahead to go from
what we now have to six months en-
forced training, and I believe that an
effort should be made to get this
much, rather than to imperil the whole
plan by asking more, until the nation
becomes awake to its needs.
six months tour could be made to
begin in April and october of each
year. so that two classe could be put
through per year. and with the same
instructing force and equipment. This
would approximately cut in half the
cost, which would materially enchance
our chances of getting IL through.
Certain classes of men can get away
from their work at one time of the year
as we'll as another, and others could
not. Those coming from the agricul-
tural industries, comprising the largest
number of any single division, could
serve from October till April without
material damage to their industrial
pursuits. This will be entirely true in
the north. and less true in the southern
tier of states. Mechanics and factory
employees in general are not subject to
the same necessity for intense activity
If choice of time were given. it would
remove one of the severest obstacles
to getting the plan through.
No Climatic Restrictions.
Il think there is no severe climatic
restriction to maintaining extensive
training camps in the entire southern
tier of states from October until April,
neither is there any restriction to pre-
vent the use of April till October in
the northern states. Thus geographical
location. we'll as industrial pursuits
could be consulted to some degree at
least on the two term plan.
The instructing force necessary to
put this proposition through will be
very great. Not all army officers are
fit to be such instructors. and in my
Judgment IL would be relatively easy
TO get an efficient group of the size
required on the two-term plan, where IL
would be difficult 10 secure double the
number of officers of proper training
and antecedents for the one-term plan.
"On the question whether eighteen
which military service would be ex-
plan. making eighteen the minimum
Reason for Accommodation.
My reasons for this recommendation
are:
Physiological. All boys are not
equally mature at eighteen. OF course,
they are not equally mature at twenty
one either, but the relative difference