Evening star., 1920-03-28
ARMY AND navy NEWS

Il There are now a.2s5 vacancies in
the commissioned personnel OF the
Regular Army and many more will
accrue in the event of the passage of
the Army reorganization bill in its
present shape. To meet that situa-
ton Secretary Baker has issued a call
to all emergency officers and former
emergency officers. who have not al
ready approved applications for com
missions in the Regular Army on file
in the War Department. to Ill out
such applications without delay. Suit
able applications may be obtained. ne
says, from the adjutant general at
Washington or at the headquarters
of military departments or camps
either in this country or In Germany
and other Army posts outside OF the
United States proper. There already
tions on file in the War Department.
which it is stated will be considered
at the proper time. 1t is explained
! that no further action is required OF
the applicants for Regular Army com
missions in such cases.
4 War Exhibit OF Engineers.
Certain Army engineer equipment tend
United States Corps Of Engineers IN the
world war is to be transferred TO the
Smithsonian Institution for permanent
Exhibition in the National Museum. The
equipment embraces a collection OF in
struments used in sound and flash-rang
ing apparatus. including microphone and
geophone sets, and an aircraft finder
known as a paraboloid mounted on a
chassis. The sea archlight apparatus in
cludes a sixty-inch open-type search
I light, twenty-four-inch mounted search
( light. and a thirty-six-inch barrel-type
rch1ryhf fncrefhar U-ifh
trailer and railway tower equipment. as
well as other smaller lights and mirrors.
Camouflage material comprising draw
ings, photographs and models illustrate
the use of camoufiage in the field. An
other exhibit Will include tools and equip
! ment used by sapper regiments. Under
miscellaneous collections there are
full size collapsible pontoon equip
ment used in the 4. Z. F.; a gasoline
locomotive and models of bridges
dugouts and barhed-wire entangle-
ments. Some fifty photographs and
relief maps show operations conducted
by the engineers or with engineering
equipment in the A. E. F. Some OF
stalled at the Smithsonian Institution
and the remainder is in the course OF
. completion.
Training Duty OF Rescrvists.
III Members of the officers Reserve
Corps and members of the Regular
Army Reserve will not, in general be
called to duty for training in 1920, is
stated in a War Department bulletin.
In no event will a reserve officer or
| reservist be called for training dur
ing the present year without his con-
sent. 1t is stated that reserve officers
on inactive status may be assigned
by department commanders to an or
| ganiZation of the Regular Army for
| target practice. at their own request.
but without pay. Reserve officers
| be allowed the same expenditure for
| small arms ammunition as officers OF
. the same arm or service of the Reg
J ular Army.
7 Gas Masks and Steel Helmets.
! 4 gas mask of the American Tissot
type or one of later design. will be Is
. sued to every officer and enlisted man
! of the Regular Army as part OF his
regular equipment, according to an an
Y nouncement made by the War Depart
. ment. A total of 100000 American
1919 or later type gas masks will be
! provided in time of peace, which will
Z serve as an initial requirement for use
in time of war. and that number will
. be replaced at the rate Of one-third per
! year to provide for peace-time require
! lments and keep up the initial supply
. of serviceable material. The old type
. masks with nose clip and mouth piece
. will be kept reserve as long as
: lserviceable. Authority also has been
. granted for the issue to all combatant
! organizations of the Regular Army all
: their authorized allowance of steel he'll
Z NETS, to be held in storage at their re-
spective stations. These issues will be
. made from the 100000 which the ord
nance department is directed to retain.
Issues Of steel helmets Of the present
: model may be made to the National
Guard. These issues will also be made
from the 100000.
New Climbing Seaplane.
! A new air and water craft called a
! ship-aeroplane to distinguish it from
other naval seaplanes and designed
. to jump into the air from the turret
or deck of battleship. as well as
: from the water. had its FIRST practical
trial flight over Raritan bay. New
Jersey, last Tuesday. On that occa-
sion the test was made from the wa
ter. On its take-off it rose from the
water, after a short run. in five sec
onds; No test Of speed or climbing
| ability was made at this trial. but IL
| is estimated that the new craft has
| speed of 110 miles an hour and
climbing power of 5000 feet in ten
minutes. 1t is equipped with a 800
horsepower Wright -Hispano motor
and weighs LAB pounds empty and
2,730 pounds loaded. 1t rests on the
water on two long, slender pontoons
or floats. Pilot and observer sit one
| behind the other, in the narrow
stream-lined fusilage just back of the
upper wing. Other tests. including a
rise from shipboard. will be made in
the near future.
Army ordnance officers believe they
have the real answer to the lyrical
question of How you going to keep
'em down on the farm" through the
course of instruction conducted by
ordnance schools in the operation and
care of Army tractors. They say that
soldiers who have received instruc-
ton in the operation of tractors and
caterpillars will find excellent OPEN
leave the service. Maj. Gen. C. c. wills
liams, chief of ordnance. in a receiA
! discussion of the subject. said:
The need for men for the operation
of tractors in state road building -
only part of the demand. Competent
tractor operators who can make theiE
own repairs are needed wherever
tractors are used and particularly Oh
the great farms of the west. Here thu
operation of tractors is in its infancy.
In these days when the high cost of
living is the paramount issue it is
agreed that onei satisfactory solution
is in the further development of our
agricultural interests and more extern
| war. many young men have gone
| away from their boyhood homes on
| the farm and there seems to be less
attraction than ever for those OUT
| side of the cities. Many farmers hay2
pleaded with the boys to stay on thH
| farm and have been discouraged be-
| cause they went into the towns ~