Norwich bulletin., 1916-05-18
STATE WILL NEED
1850 MORE MEN.
Army 5iII As Agreed Upon Finds Con.
 necticut in Good Shape.

Connecticut will have less trouble recruiting to the maximum National Guard strength directed by the army bill, as now agreed upon by the house and senate conferences than all most any state in the Union, accord ing to figures advenced by Adjutant- General Cole. The bill in it's present form provides each state may enroll 500 men for each senator and repre- sentative in congress. which would make Connecticuts total 5000 men. There are now. according to General Cole about 3.750 men in the Connecti- cut National Guard, which means an increase of 70 per cent. to attain the new maximum.
 figures of the New York World. New York must double it's National Guard Massachusetts and Pennsy1va- mia must icrease theirs by 40 and 150 per cent, respectively. Geor- gfa will need to recruit 260 per 320 per cent. and Kansas $50 per Tn thes opinion ob Adjutatlt-G Gen eral Cole it will be impossible for some states to reach the maximum necticIt will have no trouble with it's present 530 for each congress- man and senator to reach the 800 mark in short order.
 General Cole has not had an op- portunity to read copy of the | conference bill. and for that reason did not wish to comment extensive lv on Connecticuts changes in milf. tia under if He said that it was l probable that the war deDartment would figure out just what was needed in Connecticut and sent word | increased streneth in proportion to the general scheme but that it was not probab ble that the maximum
 strength would be sought at first Connccticut's militia is well bal
 enced without the preponderance of | Theoretically the state can furnish i a cavalry squadron of four troops. | although only two are organized. l General Cole said he would not have | the least difficulty in recruiting two | more troops and favored obtaining i Hartford. Bridgeport wants a cav | airy troop. as does Torrington. but | Hartford and New Haven already | have arnories and horses. which could be used by the extra organ nations.
 By recruiting all the companies in ConnectIcut's two infantry regf- ments to their full serength or even rnder the maximum the remaining | force available under the new bill 1 could De secured, aecOrd1ng to Gen. ] eral Cole. Many of the infantry
 companies are rather weak and con l sistently below their proper strength | Connecticut already has six batteries of field artillery. 13 coast artillery companies, a signal company, one separate company of co1ored infantry
 an ambulance company and a field
 hospital.
 One feature of the army bill Gen. erai Cole thought important was the
 fact tt at the government would pro.
 vide horses and pay for feeding
 them for the cavalry troops thu!
 doing away with the riding school!
 and other methods of raising ex-
 penses now practiced in Connecti , cut. The state legislature will have
 to change the statute fixing tht maximum of the Connecticut Ma,
 tional Guard and National Guards
 men will have to take an oath t
 serve the United States as well al
 the separate states when the bill be . comes a law. he said. In making his estimates General Cole said h. considered the Yale batteries per manent thing and added that ther