The New York herald., 1922-03-03
100000 ARMY SEEN
IN 60 MILLION CUT
War Officials Concerned Over
Further Reductions by
House Experts.

WASHINGTON, March AT least $780,
100000. and possibly $50, 100000, will
be slashed from the budget estimate for
the War Department by the House APP
propriations subcommittee. which is
framing the army appropriation bill for
the fiscal year beginning July / next.
members of the subcommittee predicted
tonight. The measure, they added, not
only will provide that the enlisted
strength Of the army be reduced from
ITS present strength of 900 to $4,000
men on July but that the number of
officers be limited to 1900, as compared
with the present strength OF 12,900 on
the active list.
War Department estimates were re-
vised and pared down by the Budgey
Bureau to approximately s363,000, 900
for the coming fiscal year, of this amount
$293,0o0,0O0 being requested for the
army and the rest for the non-military
work, such as improvements to rivers
and harbors. The draft of the bill, it
was said tonight. practically had been
completed but must be reviewed by the
full committee. which may make changes
Chairman Anthony has said the measure
would be reported next week
AS drawn by the subcommittee the
bill. 1t was said does not provide for
lump sum appropriations as requested
by War Department officials Such an
arrangement would have permitted de-
partment heads to expend funds under
general headings as they saw fit, af-
fording them an opportunity to stretch
economies where possible and expend
amounts greater than the estimates on
other activities If the total expenditure
authorized was not exceeded. The bill
as it will be reported to the full commit
tee, however. it was emphasized will
specify for what purposes each allow
ance is to be used.
Concern was expressed in army circles
tonight over the prospective forced re-
duction of the regular establishment to
115,000 men and 1000 officers. Both
Secretary Weeks and Gen. Pershing, in
appearing recently before the subcom-
mittee, urged that provision be made
for an army OF 100000 men, and the
subcommittee in deciding upon 1000
as the maximum number OF officers has
disregarded the recommendation of Gen.
Pershing, who outlined plans for weed
ing out" inefficient officers to bring the
force down to 10000. in the expecta-
ton of then increasing the officer per-
sonnel to $4,000 by commissioning Of
ficers in the junior grades.
A reduction of the army to $4,000
enlisted strength, it was pointed out by
Department officials, would mean an
actual effective force of little more than
los, 900 men. as the regular turnover.
due to expiring enlistmcnts, recruit
training and other conditions, keeps
about 10000 men on the average con-
tinuously out of active ranks.
The proposed reduction also would
mean a heavy additional curtailment of
various army activities Exhaustive
studies made in the Department as to
| the most advisable course to- follow If
another sharp cut in strength was made
are known to have indicated that the
coast defenses. except for few harbors
| of vital Importance. must be virtually
abandoned by the regulars to the Ma
tional Guard or organized reserve.
| Another activity threatened probably
would be aviation. 1t was regarded as
likely that the flying service also might
be transferred SO far as possible, to the
National Guard or organized reserve
elements Of the new army.