The New York herald., 1921-01-01
WANTS ARMY FUND CUT
Consults Representative An
thony on Military Af-
fairs Appropriations.
MONDELL ALSO A CALLER
Urges Importance of Keeping
Down Expenses Without I'M
pairing Army Efficiency.

Special Despatch TO TIE New YORK HERALD.
MARION, Ohio, Dec. 31-President-
elect Harding wants to have an army
OF 10000 young men constantly under
volunteers military training. he told
Representative Dan r. Anthony
(Kan), member of the Military Af-
fairs and Appropriations committees
of the House, to-day.
'He desires that the Reserve officers
Training Corps be continued" said
Mr. Anthony, together with the civil
ian school and college training, where
by we shall keep at all times not less
than 10000 young men in voluntary
training, with the conception that their
education win not be properly com
pleted without this branch"
At the same time Mr.. Harding urged
the Importance of keeping down army
appropriations in every possible way
without doing anything to impair the
strength of the organizations back
bone
Mr. Anthony said it would be mecca
sary to reduce s250.000,00G in the army
would carry a limitation on the enlisted
force, probably fixing the number at
$50, ,0C0 or $4,000.
N"Thc army's greatest asset consists IN
its commissioned officers" he SAID.
About 1000 more are to be appointed.
all of them men who have had actual
war service These are the nations
first military asset. In addition, how
ever, tie United States has greater
store of war material than any nation In
the world and It involves the latest ana
best types. That will be carefully pre-
served. and Win a somewhat reduced en-
listed personnel we will have skeleton
army that it will be possible to expand
to meet any possible requirement
"At the close of the war we were pre-
pared to maintain an army of 5,0OO,0O0,
and we now have broadly the material
for an establishment of 100000 men.
II is a fact which the country should an
derstand that the United States is to-
day better prepared for military effort
than any other one on earth.
Senator Harding told me Of his deep
interest in maintaining a policy making
adequate provisions for voluntary mill
tary training.
Congress will carry on the army APP
propriations as far as II may dare, but,
after all. the big economies must be II
fected from inside the army organza-
tion. In recent years il has been the
rolicy to vote lump sums. and these have
been reeklessly squandered. A huge
wartime overhead establishment still
persists and will be inherited by the new
Administration. Many useless camps
and thousands of civilian employees
must I've disposed of.
'"Despite the effort made when the
army reorganization bill was passed TO
take business administration largely out
Of the hands of military men, II still re-
mains in their hands, boards of officers
having charge of all manner Of business
affairs that, in the intent of the law.
ought to be In the hands of civilian ad-
ministrators. An Illustration of how this
operates 10 waste money is found In one
recent circumstance. a board of young
officers decided on change of the ma
terial used for chevrons for non-commis-
stoned officers They then proceeded to
buy s1,OO0,O0O worth Of the new ma
terial, quite regardless OF the fact that
the army had or hand at the time $1O.-
00O. 600 worth OF the material they were
dlscarding.
Another illustration. With 10000
army trucks on hand. they have con-
tracted recently for S2.0o0.000 worth of
additional trucks, simply because OF the
development-ef one new wrinkle in truck
construction. All this. of which many
other instances might be cited, demon
strates the utter lack Of business judg-
ment During the war barrier was
erected around the army. Congress Is
only now getting back to a proper view
and knowledge of the establishment. The
House is determined to get the army