Evening star., 1925-07-05

Gus stations should govern the type
of buildings to be erected.
A mass of information was gathered
by Gen. Dalton on this trip, relative
to the present condition of the Army
quarters as whole. which Will be
very useful to him when he presents
the subject not only TO the war De-
partment but when the military com
mitteeS of the Senate and House take
UP with the War Department Gen
eral Staff the sale of unused military
reservations to help defray the cost OF
putting into effect the building pro
gram which was submitted TO Con
greSS at the last session Both Chair
man Wadsworth of the Senate mill
tary committee who is strongly in
favor of a constructive building pro
gram, and who has CLEANED first hand
knowledge of Army housing conditions
by visiting number of posts, ana
Representative W. Frank James Of
Michigan. chairman of the sub-com-
mittee of the House military com
mittee. who has studied the question
during the recess, are firmly con
vinCed the building program should
be placed in operation at the earliest
practicable date.
In commenting upon the new Army
construction policy, Gen. Dalton said:
Assuming that Congress will pro
vide funds for new construction, so
that beginning can be made on the
type of buildings and the general
plans for the grounds with the local
architects and contractors, on my
recent trip l discussed the subject
with the local chapters of the Associ-
alton of Architects and Contractors,
and found them willing to cooperate.
My suggestion is that the Govern
ment should provide officers with the
I'll
by their neighbors, which in some
cases would be of the bungalow type
to meet climatic conditions Both
economy and comfort demand that we
get away from a standard type of
quarters and barracks, and the in
terror arrangements should be modern
in all respects"
to note that Maj. Gen. Merritte w.
Ireland, surgeon general of she Army,
also returned to Washington from an
inspection of the Army hospitals, his
itinerary taking him to the station
hospital at Fort Sam Houston, Tex;
William Beaumont General Hospital
Ell Paso. Tex; Army and Navy Cen
eral Hospital, Hot Springs. Ark; Fit
simons General Hospital, Denver.
Colo; and Letterman General Hospital,
Preside of San Francisco. Calf
Gen. Ireland found these medical
institutions working in splendid order
and operating on an efficient basis. His
inspection of the buildings and quar-
ters, however, told the same story
which every inspecting officer relates
in his report to the War Department
the rapid deteriora ton of the quar-
ters and barracks housing the Army
personnel Funds are urgently needed
for making the necessary repairs and
extensions at the various Army hospi-
tails. it was pointed out. and also to
make the emergency buildings as near
freproof as possible.
A War Department memorandum,
prepared in the office of Maj. Gen. F.
W. Coe, chief of Coast Artillery. gov
erning the examination of enlisted
men for appointment as assistant en-
gineer, Army Mine Planter Service,
was approved this week by the War
Department. To meet the service re-
quirements of this examination, the
candidate must be an enlisted man of
the Coast Artillery Corps and must
have had at least two years expert
ence in the engine department of an
Army mine planter or harbor boat, one
year of which must have been as an
oiler, or on duties normally performed
by an oiler. The scope of the exam
inati0n will include the following sub
jects: Arithmetic, marine engineering
Theoretical and practiCaD, machine
shop practice Theoretical and praCti-
cab, elementary electricity Theoretical
and practicaD, and internal combus-
tion engines theoretical and practical.
In the past it has been required of
candidates for appointment as warrant
officers, Army Mine Planter Service, in
grades of second mate and assistant
engineer. to establish their eligibility
for appointment by completing the
deck or marine engineering course at
the Coast Artillery School, as pre-
scribed in Army Regulations 35045.
These courses were suspended in
1921, and their re-establishment for
the purpose of securing the compara-
lively few eligibles necessary under
present requirements is inadviSable
due to the fact that such action would
require considerable increase in in
structor personnel and overhead at the
school and the supply of expensive
marine material and equipment, which
Is not available at the present time.
1t is proposed in the future that eligi-
bles for appointment as second mates
and assistant engineers will be secured
through the medium Of competitive
examinations
At the present time six names are
borne on the second mate eligible list
and four on the assistant engineer
IS estimated, will not take place with
in the next three years In the assist
ant engineer grade, it is expected that
two vacancies and possibly three will
take place during the current year,
reducing the eligible hist for that
grade to such an extent that provision
must be made for securing additional
eligibles as soon as practicable. Be
ginning Tuesday, January 10, 1926, a
Snacial examination for this D1ITnDSe
will be held in the various commands.
In order to take this examination, can
didates will be required to submit
written application through command
ing officers and harbor defense COM
manders to the chief of Coast Artil-
iery, so as to reach the latter office not
later than December 1.
To carry out the new aviation pol
Icy, two proposals to amend existing
laws will be submitted by the War
Department to Congress UpoA the con-
Vening of this body in December. In
the event that the Navy Department
does not join with the War Depart
ment in sending these recommenda-
tions to Congress, the probabilities are
that he naval establishment will file
the same proposals with both the Sen
ate and House naval affairs committee.
The two proposals are as follows:
1. Revocation of laws prohibiting
the President from ordering any Army
or Navy officer to duties involving
flying. In the Army appropriation act
of 1914, there is a provision which de-
bars officers not detailed to aviation
or who are not on duty as flying ca
diets, from being assigned to flying
duty under Competent orders. Both
the military and naval establishments.