The Washington herald., 1917-04-22
Army and Navy News
Best Service Ceiumn In City.

More land for fortincation purposes ts
needed at Rockawsy, Il was disclosed yes-
terday, when Mayor Mitchell made public,
letter from Col. Frederick c. Abbot
United States Army Engineer Corps. IN
charge OF the work Of erecting the new
oefenses Of New York City on the Rock
away Peninsula.
Col. Abbot's letter requests the mayor
70 provide the War Department with AZ
ditcnal land adjacent to the Rockaway
ste. IN order 70 allow the placing Of
more high power batteries The addi-
uonal area required is 900 feet square.
This added tract is requested 30 that the
batteries will not interfere with the aviz-
ton base site on the northwestern sec
ton Of Jacob Riis Park.
The mayor at once instructed John r.
Weir, park commissioner of Queens. %
get Into communication with Col Abbot
and learn from him the exact land needed
ana 70 give the necessary permission for
its use SO that the government can oe
placed in immediate possession Of the
site.
An editorial in National servics a
magazine devoted to universal military
training. contains the sketch Of a plan
for organizing a national army.
An army OF Loo 600 men," says the
magazine, would comprise about thirty
divisions such as that prescribed in our
neld service regulations. with certain sd-
diuonal auxiharies necessary in. order
to combine groups Of divisions as army
corps or field armies. Having decided
upon thirty divisions, the next step. on
modern military principles, would BE- 10
divide the country into thirty regions Of
approximately equal population. with the
IDEA Of forming a division in each of
he nrrAr
mander and stan should be assiEned TO
each Of these divisions. and each such
commander should be given the authority
ana the means TO raise a division within
the area assigned him He should Be
gwen as many regular of5cers and train
ed enlisted men as can be spared: ana
all the available National Guard person.
mel within his area should be assigned 10
him.
These should form the npcI.u, oy11,
otncers and noncommlsioned corps and
he should supplement Il by acoeptinz
volunteers from all classes who have
already had military training For this
purpose he would have former on5cer.
and enlisted men Of the army and navy.
former members Of the National Guard.
graduates Of military schools and COL
leges. members OF the Federal training
camps and others who have had some
military experience and training. With
this initially trained personnel the dfvi-
sion commander should start the enroll
ment and the organization Of the units
proper for his command, and in doing
this he should be the fully qualified
agent Of the government 70 DO every
| thing that is necessary in order TO de-
Nelop the military resources OF the re-
gfon assigned him.
The private soldiers Of these forces
should be the young men Of the coun-
try. In order to insure their stend1nes
: in sufficient numbers at the start and
during the continuance OF war, We can
not and should not depend upon the
volunteer system. We should deter
mine what number Of soldiers Is re-
quired and we should draw them from
the unmarried men Of ls % and q years
of age.
From this force, raised primarily ts
meet an emergency, we would be sbls
to draw trained instructors for the ma
tional army OF the future. and by train
ing a new class of recruits each year
would perpetUste the emergency
& -my. expand II and make It a per-
'Ianent institution"