The Washington herald., 1916-01-28
BY f.. b. JOHNS.

Both Mai Gen. Leonard Wood and
Col. Edwin Glenn. chief of stan OF the
eastern department, yesterday in hear
ings before the military committees
made pleas for additional nonCommis-
stoned officers for the army. Gen. Wood,
speaking to the House Committee COM
mended that feature OF the Hay bill
which provided for additional noncom-
missioned officers and expressed the be-
lief that something should be done to
give noneommissioned officers a better
status and additional allowances in the
army.
You cannot have an efficient army
without well-trained and competent non
commissioned officers" said Gen. Wood.
1T Is generally recognized that the prob
lem OF keeping the highest class Of nom
commissioned officers in the regular
army has not yet been solved II we
are to have any force OF trained citizen
soldiers, the need of large numbers OF
non commissioned officers will be i'm
perative. The provision In your bill for
an increase in the number OF non-com-
missioned officers is a step in the right
direction"
1T has often been remarked said
Col. Glenn, that the non-commissioned
officers are the backbone of the army.
I have never heard any army officer dis
pute this. In any legislative program
provisions should be made for sufficient
number Of non-commissioned officers"
THE Navy Department never took sub
marines seriously" said Admiral Robert
8. Grimm, chief of Bureau Of Steam En-
gneering. until 1t appointed Admiral
Grant as commander of the subma rine
fotilla. Admiral Griffin attributed the
trouble with submarines largely to the
fact that young and inexperienced Of
ficers had been detailed to the undersea
craft. He told the Naval Affairs Com
mittee that none of the European ma
tions ever assigned an officer to COM
mand a submar rine until he had had ten
years experience with submarines. This
failure of the department to recognize
that it requires a special training to
qualify for duty on the undersea craft
Admiral Griffin said, is being corrected,
and he thought the number of accidents
would be decreased.
Doubt was expressed by Admiral Crit
fin as to the success of a twenty-five
knot steam power subma rine. provided
for in the last navy appropriation bill
He did not believe that the department
would secure bids for this type of ship
and that it would be necessary to
aba ndon steam power for submarine and
that the two fleet submarines would be
constructed on the general plans Of the
schley, with speed of twenty knots.
Much of the trouble with subma rines,
It was insisted by Admiral Griffin, is
due to the attempt that the officers are
making to operate them at full speed.
He cited the fact that the subma r!nes
sent from San Francisco to Honolulu
had very little trouble because they trsv-
eled at the rate OF nine knots per hour
He declared the department had decided
to abandon the two cycle Dissel engines
in submarines until it had been per-
fected.
Maj. James ]. Mayes has resigned
his commission in the infantry to ac-
cept commission in the judge advo-
cate generals department OF the army.
This will result in the promotion of
First Lieut.. Willie T. Conway, Sixth
Infantry. effective January is, and
Second Lieut.. James L. Fink, Third
Infantry. ..,
Second Lieut.. Edmund r. Andrew,
Thirteenth Infantry, will be promoted
January 81. as the result of the death
of First Lieut. Harry s. Malone, Six
teenth Infantry. Second Lieut.. Joseph
]. Rogers, Twentieth Infantry, is pro-
NOTED as the result of the retirement
of First Lieut. Luther Folker, Six
teenth Infantry.