Evening star., 1924-08-17

IN receipt OF expressions from reserve
o1ncers of his department indicating
thelr enthusiastic appreciation of the
@emi-monthly letters sent out from
MS office. 1t has been repeatedly
stated that, aside from their instruc-
tive features, these letters confirm
the idea that the reserve officer is a
part of the Army.
These letters have been laid out
along definite program, as general
plan of organization of the quarter
master generals office. general plan
OF organization of the field offices.
theory of mobilization plans, quar-
termaStcr requirements for Scptrm-
Der II test, some results of this test.
onerafion Of tho personal service,
operation of the supply service. op-
Grafton OF the transportation serv-
ice, operation OF the construction
service. This program gives the OFF,
Ger 4 constructive knowledge of the
ouartermaster Corps agencies and
how they operate, and Will consume
the time until practically the end of
this calendar year. 1t is proposed
thereafter to formulate further in
structive series.
The ouartermaster Corps made an
enviablc record for speed in connec-
ton with the issuance of badges for
the training camp at Camp Meade.
IT was desired by the camp authori-
ties that these badges b. available
for the graduation exercises on July
-. Five hundred and fifty-cight eX-
p pert SharpShOOter and markSman
badges with bars Were asked by the
camp quartermaster July -, and by
. the expeditions action Of the corps
area quartermaster and the COM
nandng officer of the Philadelphia
ruartcrmaster depot they were in his
hands before the time they =
. tuaily required.
Lieut.. Col. William +. Persons. L.
5. ~, Infantry, has been detailed for
duty IN the office of the chief of In
fantry, and will be connected with
the ira ming section of the Office. He
recently completed the course at the
General Stait School, Fort Lcaven-
worth
The nc,v regulations of the Ma
tional Guard in course of prepa-
ration. \ part of them arc in the
hands OF th" printer, the remainder
il being complied 10y a board of Off
. '"rs on duty ii thc Militla Bureau. to
i" later sent 10 the War DEPARTING Mt
for approval.
II Is estimated that il viii require
three or four months OF work before
tho revision l. completed. In the
meantime thc old regulations are Stiii
in fcc-r" to be REPLACED by the new
issue when il is ready for distribu-
ton. in the same form. generally. as
In" present Army regulations. Scpa-
ra'" pamphlets will relate to special
subjects.
There will be, in addition, certain
issues % the Army regulations that
apply, without modification, to the
National Guard. The changes are
confined to form, arrangement and
no innovations or departures from
the policies contained in the present
regulations.
Lieut. Col. Lewis Brown. jr., who
re"cntly completed the course at .he
Command and General Staff School,
has been assigned 70 duty in the Cav
airy office head Of the Reserve Of
ficers Training Corps section, sue
ceeding Maj. Walton Goodwin, jr.,
who has gone to the class at the
Army War College.
The attention of the War Depart
ment has been called by the inspector
general Of the Army to two recent
instances wherein the use of the pen
atty envelope has been questioned. |
The inspector general in his letter
characterizeS both instances as illus |
trative of the apparent misuse of the !
opinion that If possible such use Of
the penalty envelope should be in |
terpreted as within the governing
law
In the first instance. a regular Off
Ger on r. .. I. c. duty mailed under |
government frank Information relating |
to d dinner to be given by and for GER
tain congressional district officers club.
The frank matter was sont only to
members of the club, which is COM
posed exclusively of reserve. national
guard and regular officers. The mott
walton of the club and OF its proposed |
dinner is stated to be the profess |
sional advancement of its members, |
consideration of questions of general
interest, and mutual acquaintance and |
understanding" 1nclosed in the en- !
veIope to each member were a
franked envelope addressed to the ho- |
tel where the dinner was to be held |
and a form of A letter addressed to the !
hotel to be used by the recipient club |
member in making reservations Of |
plates at the dinner. |
The second instance of questionable |
use of the frank appears in all re- |
spects identical in spirit with the |
other instance. The frank was used |
in a similar manner as in the first |
instance
The law on the subject is contained |
in section ) of the act of March 3, |
1877, and is embodied in section 494 |
of the current postal laws and regu- |
lationS. The law restricts the use OF |
penalty envelopes to officers of the !
Government and further restricts the |
ranking privileges 80 that the en-
veIope may be used to cover only !
matters relating Exclusively to the !
business of the Government Of the |
United States.
1t has hitherto been held by the !
War Department that reserve officers |
associations are not Government or |
yanizations, but that they are volun- !
tary associations" and that the use |
uf the penalty envelope in correspond |
ence relating to the business OF such
associations is not authorized.
While there is in the War Depart !
ment entire agreement with the in
spector general in the sentiment that |
such organizations and the dinners
given by them are of undoubted bene- |
fit to the service, and thus to the Gov
ernment, the express terms of the
prevent the view that the business OF
such organization is exclusively Gov
ernment business.
1t is held by the War Department,
therefore, that the use of the penalty
envelopes In the cases in reference by
the Regular Army officers initiating
the correspondence. as we'll as by the
recipient club members, is illegal.
The severity of the training which
prospective air officers must undergo
is indicated in the recent training re-
port of the officer in charge Of the
Hlying office, Primary Flying School, |
Brooks Field, Tex. The original class |
Of 1853 has been cut down to its pres |