The sun., 1919-03-27
BAKER OFFERS
FULL LIGHT ON
! ARMY TRIALS
Secretary Appoints Com
mittee of Civilian Lawyers
to Examine Papers.
REVIEW IS PROMISED
Martin Conboy Of New York
and s. s. Gregory of Chi
cag0 Named.
Special Dssssrea 10 TIE sux


WASHINGTON, March 26.-In response
to repeated criticisms of the court
martial system Secretary Of War Ba-
ker upon returning to Washington to-
day announced that he had appointed a
committee Of prominent civilian law
yers to 60 over the whole subject and
make recommendations to him. A rad
ical change eliminating the injustices
OF the present system is predicted.
The committee Of investigation is
made up of 8. 9. Gregory of Chicago,
Judge W. p. Bynum OF Greensboro, N.
c.; Martin Conboy Of New York, Judge
Andrew jackson Bruce Of Bismarck,
n. D., and Col. J. Hinckley OF Balti-
moro.
Secretary Baker has ordered all rec
ords, including court martial records,
placed at the disposal of the commit
tee. The personnel Of the Judge Ad-
vocate Generals once will also assist
the committee in every way.
Regarding his inspection trip through
out the country Secretary Baker sid I:
I'VE went from one camp to another
inqriring into the processes OF demobili-
ration. seeking to get uniformity in the
pcesible uniformity In speed and to cut
down the time that man stays In a
camp after he gets there for demobiliEa-
ton. In one small camp We found that
men sometimes get out the same day
they arrive-have all their papers ex-
amined, take all their physical exanina-
lions and get out the same day. The
best record generally was forty-eight
hours. In some places 1t went up as
high as elk days.
In TanEie OF RED Tape.
Gen. March went through the whole
matter very carefully with the command
ing officers and instructed them $ to
the best practice in other places. am
certain the result of the trip Is going
to mean greater speed and greater uni
formity In the rehabilitation process.
I'VE found what you probably already
know, but which had not known In go
much detail. that there are a good many
things to be done when a man Is de-
modified. In the first place he is sent
10 a depot company; from there he has
nine different sets Of papers made up !;
no has to be interviewed by representa-
tives OF the Department OF Labor, who
see whether he has a Job waiting for
him. and II not what kind Of work he
would like to have. and correspondence
has to be entered Into with bureaus in
his own home town to help him get a
lob his status with regard to war risk
insurance has to be worked OUT, and any
difficulties which have risen with regard
10 siiotrnents OF pay have to be straight
ened out.
"Au these papers have 10 be straight
ened out and a great many .of the
papers have errors in them-for instance,
we looked at some papers a day or two
ago which had a mans name spelled
two different ways. This would seem
to be a minor error and yet the mans
future status depends on the complete
accuracy of his papers. Then the man
must 60 throug the physical examina-
tons. Each man Is examined ordinarily
by ten or - doctors-heart specialists,
lung specialists. brain specialists. ear
SPECIALISTS, &c.-and II any doctor
discovers anything wrong, unless the
man passes all OF them as absolutely
sound, his case goes to the board OF
review. which passes upon the character
of the disability. and they sometimes
hnd most serious things.
one Man Rebuilt.
"A man We saw the record OF was
found to have tuberculosis. He went
UP to the board of review and II was
discovered by the board that he entered
the army weighing 100 pounds and was
-eady for demobiiization at $50 pounds.
20 that he gained forty pounds. The
board made photographs OF his lungs
and these showed old scars which had
long since healed. but the frst doctor
l,ld discovered the scars. Tho board
ultimately found that these were old