New Britain herald., 1917-04-11
ARMY OF OFFICERS
 TO BE TRAINED NOW
Camps Similar to Plattsburg All Over the Country

Washington, April l1.--The admin
 istration's plans for building up an
 army to be supplemented at once
 by the establishment at many points
 throughout the country of civilian
 training camps for officers.
 The great need of the war army to
 be raised will be properly equipped
 officers, and to aid in meeting the de-
 mand the war department has de-
 cided to adopt the Plattsburg idea on
 a nation wide scale. Arrangeme
 for the camps already are being made
 and civilians desirous of fitting them
 selves for commissions in the officers
 rc.Gcrve corps may apply now to de- skV1@ tmental commanders for assign
 ments to them. The number of
 camps to be set up will depend on the number of applications received. A course of three months vigorous training will be given the prospective officers, who will be organized into companies or larger units and go f through all the drills and exercises of enlisted men, supplemented by lecture courses as to the duties of officers. The qualities displayed by men under going this training will determine whether they are suited to army life and also the rank in the reserve corps which they are qualified to hold. Commissions will be issued at the conclusion of the training period to those accepted, who will be assigned to units of the regular army, National Guard or the first contingent of troops to be raised under the draft plan.
 The scheme is designed particularly
 to meet the situation of civilians who
 have had no military experience and
 who are too old to enter the second
 lieutenant grade of the reserve corps,
 but are otherwise qualified by educa-
 tlen and capacity to become officers.
 Maximum Age Raised to Forty.
 The department has suspended the
 regulation limiting new enlistment in the regular army to men not more
 man thlrty-five years of age. This was
 made possible by the war declaration against Germany. To conform to the
 administrations army bill the maxi
 mum age has now been set at forty years.
 The authorized strength of the reg uiars Will soon be reached at the present rate of enlistment. Including all comoatant and non-combatant troops and unassigned recruits. this would mean a total of 13S.OOO enlisted men.
 Recruiting will be prosecuted viz orously, it is indicated. as the nrocess of assembling, equipping and assign ing recruit takes some time and it is expected that congress will mass the new army bill before any considerable number in excess of authorized strength may be ready to join their regiments.
 Plans for the National Guard were definitely outlined by the war depart- ment.
 Adjutants general of the states have been informed that no new units of the Guard will be recognized except such special forces as may be neces- sary to complete divisional orga niza- tion of the present establishment and
 those which haxe armories have been recruited in definite localities and have other indications of "probable permanency'' The purpose of the department is to prevent organization of purely volun- teer regiments under the guise of Ma tional Guard units and which would not. in all proha bilitX last beyond the , duration of the war. .r, An official circular points out that the present emergency is one which cannot De met bY the regular forces and the National Guard alone, and adds that existing law "does not con- template that the Federal govern ment shal! call upon the states to form, more National Guard troops in order that they may be called into the federal service ''Thc laws the circular continues "placcd this responsibility of organ izing moro troops for strictly federal use upon the federal government where 1t properly belongs