The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-12-08
PERSH|NG URGES. BETTER DEE NsE.
In Report He Warns Against Tendency To Slip Back
 Into Unpreparedness

what will be his last annual report as chief of staff of the army. By the time the next report is due, the for mer commander of the American EX- peditfonary Forces will have reached the retirement age of 64.
 we have made progress in the or ganization of the framework of a great citizen army :" he said. but the tota number of individuals under military supervision has de- creased by 15,000 during the past three years. This decline presents d seriots problem which should receive the thoughtful consideration of ev- cry responsible citizen.
 Are we making real progress to- ward the modest goal which we have set for ourselves, or are we falling back into the unprepared condition which has heretofore existed in this country?"
 General Pershing devoted his re- port largely to the question of the creation in time of peace of corps of officers to instruct our men and to lead them in battle." Easing his statements on the results of the time he devoted during the year to inspec- tion of summer training camps, he reported that reserve officers had exhibited readiness to make personal sacrifices in order to fit themselves for duty but that the war department ndu been dDle to give tHeIu lstlle dS- sistance. the truth being that we have neither personnel or funds sut- ficient for this purpose.
 O O O
 Temporary Disruption.
 There has been temporary disrup- ton" in the regular army as was to be expected, he continued. due to re- organization under the national d5- fense act. He added, however:
 T wish to emphasize the fact that this can be but a temporary phase. Our regular organizations must once more receive the training necessary to make them models of efficiency and to prepare them to take the field at any moment.
 with a full appreciation of the need for economy. l urge that the regular army be brought back to the trength of 150,000 enlisted men ana 13.000 officers; that it be suitably housed and enabled to conduct an nual maneuvers on moderate scale; that the national guard he given the support necessary to permit it's pro- gressive development toward strength of 250,000; that the skeleton organization of the organized reserve be adequately maintained; that the funds appropriated permit reserve officers to receive an average or To days training in each three or four
 
 Training corps units be further de- veloped, and that provision be maue for gradual increase ill the mum Der accommodated annually in the citizen military training camps. status Of Reserve Corps.
 The officers reserve corps now consists, General Pershing said, or approximately 77.000 officers, ol whom 50,OOo are war veterans. An nual replacements of at least b0o0 second lieutenants must be DroNluea to maintain the corps, and this year only about half that number were commissioned from the Reserve Of ficers Training corps and other sources During the last fisS-l year there were about 92,000 regulars ana 100000 national guardsmen Tn con tinental United States, or a decrease of 3O0O0 from the strength of those two clements of the army that eX- isted in 1921.
 We cannot contemplate further reduction" General Pershins de- clared.
 Due to lack of funds, the report said, enlisted personnel of the regu- lar army "has had to be exploited in performing nom military duties Tn preparing the maintaining camps Of instruction" It added that housing had been poor for the troops, but that fine morale and cheerful spir- it's" were exhibited by both officers and men even under these conditions,
 "Present appropriations" said Gen eral Pershing, have provided only for. the living expenses of the mill tarv establishment and have not adeouately cared, for the upkeep thereof. nor for it's progressive de- velopfnent War stocks of supplies have beenf utilized to the maximum advantage. and many articles are now exhausted. The temporary shelter built during the war has Ill most instances become unduly eX- uensiye to maintain and is unfit for occupancy. Essential measures for the defense of the Panama canal and our overseas possessions have been held in aheyance. although a mum Der of years would beNrequired Tor their completion.
 All Doing Their Part.
 Summing up the spirit with which all parts of the new army-regulaes' national gusrdsmen and reserve of1l- cers-Were performing their part, he said:
 Tt is gratifying to be able to re- port that the national defense act has met with constantly increasing interest among all classes of Ameri- cans. Not only do our citizens show recognition of the wisdom of the present policy, but there appears to he a growing desire to aid the war department in carrying out it's pro gram.
 Tn the face of many discourage mcnts, the personnel of all com ponents os the army have zealousiy given of their services. The national guard has achieved a most praise worthy standard of efficiency in view of the limited time available for military training; an excellent nu- cleus for the organized reserves has Leen built up in the short space Of three years; the units for the train ing of prospective officers have de- veloped in a, very satisfactory man ner in our schools. colleges and sum mer camps; and the regular estaD- Mshment, cheerfully. indeed en- Enthusiastically, has subordinated many of it sown interests In fulfilling US task of aiding in every possible way the citizen cOlnponents and auAiH- aries of the national army.
 Telling of comments made to nm hy parents, doctors, educators ana employers all over the country on the effects of summer camp train ing upon the young men framed, General Pershing said he believed these camps f'are really an American institution which will always endure in some form or other"
 II regard them,' he added, "as the greatest school in America for the development of good citizenship.
 "I sincerely hope that 1t is the win of/the American people that we should carry out conservative ana halanced program for the national defense in preparation for whatever emergency we may be destined to en- counter"