Evening star., 1922-04-15
HARBORD INSISTS
ON 10000 army
Security of Country in DAN
ger With Less Men, Gen.
! eraI Warns.

The regular Army cannot accom-
plish the task set for it by law with
a personnel of less than 100000. Mai.
Gen. j. c.. Harbord. deputy chief of
staff. declared yesterday before the Sen
ate appropriations committee in con-
nection with It's consideration of the
pending Army appropriation bill. To
attempt to carry out the work laid
down for the War Department with
less than 10000 men. he said, would
mean that Something must give
way"
There Is minimum limit below
which you cannot so with safety,
Gen. Harbord told the committee.
"The air service cannot be etficient
below $4,000 men, the cavalry ana
field artillery cannot safely be dimin-
ished. If 100000 or more men cannot
be had, then in my Judgment Con-
EresS should frankly state diHer-
ent mission for us and not mislead
the country on our national defense
Comparison Misleading.
Comparison with the pre-war Army.
authorized in 1916. would be mislead-
ing. the deputy chief of staff as
serted, since the Army then numbered
sixty-five regiments of infantry
against thirty light at present. twen-
ty-five cavalry : regiments against
fourteen, and twenty-one regiments
of field artillery against eighteen. not
30 mention numerous new units WhicIl
have since been added, all of which
have tended to reduce the strength
of the fighting elements
II believe the Appropriation as
passed by the House of Representa-
tiveS is dangerously small and I'M
perils the national defense, Gen. Har-
bord continued, particularly striking
at the National Guard, the organized
reserves. the reserve officers training
camps and the civilian military tram
ing camps, and so reduce the regular
establishment that the purpose of the
act of June 4, 1920 (national defense
act. amended). cannot be carried out
Gen. Harbord outlined the functions
of the War Department as lald down
under that law. The first and primary
duty, he said was TO train and de-
velop the National Guard"
This we consider our principal
mission" he explained. There are
now employed in the work 9s5 officers
and $500 soldiers.
Other Responsibilities.
Among other responsibilities of the
War Department. he included the
maintenance of necessary schools for
training the component parts of the
Army: the maintenance of the ad-
ninistrative overhead" for the regular
Army, National Guard and organized
reserves; providing of garrisons for
overseas possessions and continental
coast defenses and to maintain a
for NOV ptr1r
poses"
The school system. he said. took 2.671
officers and 56l2 men, the sdministra-
tive organization 2.276 officers and l4.7l9
men and the coast Getenses, with only
thirteen of the twenty-five stations
manned, required Ar officers and
6.J92 men. .-r@..
There is nothing practically left at
more than caretaking strength south of
Charleston or north of Boston, the
witness declared.
GarriSonS for overseas possession
were estimated at 1907 officers and
246I0 enlisted men by Gen. IIarbord.
who warned against the United States
stunning its "unmissakable obligation
to keen order and preserve life and
property" in those districts.
should we he again forced into war.
he said. "our overseas gs.rr!sc-- would
practically remain as the - Tgency
finds them. II is doubtful if : could
reinforce tneTn 6IleF var fldu actudi.E
begun. and to do il while relations were
strained would probably precipitate
matters: the first overt act in the war
between Russia and Japan preceded the
declaration of war.
"European Idea Wrong.
The statement followed a series of
questions by Senator Hitchcock.
democrat. Nebraska, who contended
that the European idea of prepared
ness had been proved wrong by the
world war Gen. Harbord declared
that the United States would have
saved much money upon which il is now
paving interest if itz had been prop
erly prepared for the war The work
done by the American Army. he con-
tended, was at extraordinary expense
"and would have availed nothing had
not gallant little France held the line
until we got our machinery going"
Mr. Hitchcock argued that the
SPECIAL NOTICES.
n FROM FArTDRY tn fnN-