The sun., 1918-10-21
Gen. March Announces New
System for Handling Civil
ian Applications.
BRANCHES ARE UNIFIED
Personnel Department to Act
With Training Camps
Association.
speeia, De.potcA to Tnr suS.


plan announced to-day by Gen. March,
chief Of stan. governing the issuance
of commissions, radical changes are
made in the procedure which civilians
have followed in the past. Recruiting
for such commissions as the Army has
to bestow will be done in geographical
districts and efforts will be made to Mt
the commission to the man after MS
qualifications have been thoroughly ex-
amined. The Army hereafter virtually
will advertise for officers much as a
business house does for employees, and
will examine applicants through dis
trict commissions.
The Military Training Camps Assoc
citation In most instances will manage
the new recruiting plan and will In
terview and examine the applicants
with a view to determining their fit-
ness. II an applicant is found to be
qualified, his application and recon-
mendation will be forwarded to the
personnel branch of the General Stan
here, and II there Is need for such an
officer commission will be granted.
Otherwise the application will be held to
await a future need
In the New York district this re-
cruting will be conducted by the Mill
tary Training Camps Association at 19
West Forty-fourth street.
AboIishes Separate Branches.
The new plan does away with the
present system by which each branch
Of the service has been recruiting its
own officers. All applications addressed
to these branches such as the Ord
nance, Army Intelligence, Motor Trans
port Corps and the like, will now be
turned over to the new personnel
branch of the General Stan. The an
nouncement made to-day by Gen March
says:
1.-THE application of the principle OF
placing the individual in the military
machine strictly according to his quail
ications is being extended to cover the
selection and assignment Of those in
civil life desiring commissions in the
army
THE procurement of officers for the
various stan corps and departments Is
now centralized in the personnel branch
Of the General Staff and the separate
recruiting endeavors OF individual stan
, corps have been discontinued.
1.-THE personnel branch is establishing
agencies in various cities and has beei
assured of the hearty cooperation of the
Military Training Camps Association
Chambers of Commerce, and other civil
organizations who have splendidly CO.
operated with the army in the past In
securing commissioned personnel. Those
desiring commissions can hereafter be
saved the inconvenience of coming OF
writing TO Washington, apd will be
provided through the local press with
all necessary information relative &c
their availability and procedure to be
followed.
To BE Classified by Experts.
"Information will alse be published
from time to time Indicating qualifica'
tions of applicants most urgently needed
"All applications will be carefully
classified in Washington by experts
| In filling vacancies every effort will bt
exerted to make selections according tc
qualifications with a view to finding the
| right man to fill each vacancy.
Under the new plan no applications
| for commission should be made directly
to the Quartermaster Corps, Ordinances
Department, Sanitary Corps. Engineers
Corps, Military Intelligence Division
Motor Transport Corps, Construction
! Division, Bureau of Aircraft Production
Signal Corps, Chemical Warfare Service
or Adjutant -General's Department In
stead all applications will be mad
| through the recruiting subsection OF tn
pc rsonnel branch of the General Staff.
| procedure in applying for commits
sion will be as follows: The civilian de
string TO OFFER his services will watcl
the standard announcement of needs 70
| officers published periodically In thu
newspapers. These announcements viii
be issued from the Washington head
| quarters Of the recruiting subsection
I xx,{n he ha f,l1I
each need-type of man wanted ant
duty to be performed-furnished by tn
various branches OF the army requiring
officers. As all publicity an officer need
will come from one source, there will b
no contradiction, conflict or competition
in calls for men.
when announcement is made of
need for which the civilian consider
himself In every way qualified, he vii
communicate with the nearest Office o
the Military Training Camps Association
and there obtain complete information
on how to apply. II found qualified h
will receive a standard application 70
commission In the United States Army
which he will I'LL out and return to tn
Military Training Camps Association
office.
| Later he will be interviewed and ex
amined. If the requirement which al
tracted him has already been filled o
his qualifications make him more suita
able for some other service his april
cation may be transferred or held, prop
erly classified and available for use, 1
Il deferred file.
| "A civilian who considers himsel
qualified for service as a commissions
officer in any branch Of the army may,
he desires. make application throug
the nearest Military Training Camps As
ISOLATION in advance of any defnit
statement of n need for men with hi
particular qualifications. II found O
interview and examination to be geneI
ally qualified to be an officer he will b
recommended as an available candidat
for commission and his applicatio
will be forwarded TO the pepsonn,
branch, General stan, and there class
fed and either applied on a current nee
or held pending the development OF Z,
ture needs.
I'm no instance, under the new prC
cedure, 10 II desirable TO travel or writ
to Washington, since all recruiting Il
civilians to be commissioned In III
specified STAY Corps will be manage
by the district headquarters OF the +,
cruiting subsection and the offices
the Military Training Camps Assocli
: ton"
BARCELONA ACCLAIMS WILSON
Council OF snnnt.h CItw pI..,