Evening star., 1926-09-05

the Infantry arm to send only four
officers to civilian educational institu-
tions as students during the current
fiscal year, as compared to the eight
officers who attended various courses
the past year. Great care is taken by
the chief of Infantry in making these
civilian school selections. as the Off
GERS detailed will likely serve as in
structors at the Infantry School and
the Tank School in the future.
A short paragraph in War Depart
ment special orders this week assign
ing six warrant officer band leaders
to undergo the special band leaders
course .at the Army Music School At
Washington Barracks in this city In
dicates that the contemplated action
on the part of the War Department
to discontinue that school has been
abandoned, at least for the present. On
July Il the Adjutant General of the
Army sent out a circular letter 10 all
corps area commanders and the com
manding general of the district OF
Washington. requesting opinion as To
the advisability of disseminating the
Army Music School, which IS the only
reservoir of supply for Army bands
from which can be requisitioned quail
tinction of the Army Music School
was followed, 1t IS said, by strong pro
tests from the line organizations OF
the Regular Army, which seemingly
has prevented for the time being the
attempt to close the music school OF
the regular establishment. The six
warrant officer band leaders. who
have been ordered to attend the spe-
cial band leaders course, which VIII
begin the latter part of this month.
are Kurt FREEZER, 5th Infantry Band.
Fort Williams. Me. stephan Joska-
34th Infantry Band. Fort Eustis. Va:
Eugene J. Lacock. 9TH Field Artillery
Band. Fort Bragg. y. c.: Vernon w.
Fort Eustis, Va; Josef Studeny, 4tR
Field Artillery Band, Fort Mcintosh.
Tex, and Charles B. Tyler. 2Sth In
fantry Band. Fort Niagara. y. Y. The
above are all old band leaders who
have never taken the special band
leaders course, and upon their gradu-
alton next June will probably return
to their respective stations.
The band leaders course for enlisted
men has been suspended on account
of the large number Of graduates who
are now eligible for appointment as
band leaders The SoloiSt course.
those men who have already dem
onstrated their musical ability and are
now good inStrumentaliStS. The Army
Music School was moved to Washing
ton in September. 1920, and since It's
reorganization has been under the oil
rect control of the Adjutant General or
the Army 1t is now an advisory to
the War Department on all musical
matters. There is no other available
supply of bandsmen from civil life.
and in order to fill the many vacancies
In Army bands II is necessary for the
Army to train it's own men. The mu
steal organizations of the Army have
never occupied so high a plane as
they do at the present time. and the
disCOntinuanCe of the school, II Is
pointed out. would be severe blow
to the service bands which occupy an
important place in keeping with the
morale of the regular establishment
at a high degree.
Certain mechanical defects which
have developed in the two amphibiar
planes at France Field. Panama Ca
nal Zone. together with the unCer
tainty as to when additional amphth
ian planes and spare parts will bc
available, were the reasons given by
the Secretary of War in announcing
the indefinite postponement of the pro
posed flight to Venezuela. In any
flight involving aerial travel over for
eign territory. permission of the gov
ernments concerned must be secured
throught State Department channels.
this process being at times a long and
tedious one. Another determining fac
tor in the decision of the Secretary Of
War to postpone the proposed flight
to Venezuela was the fact that the
rainy season had set in. Those fa
miliar with the rainy season in that
South American republic would view
with considerable alarm any attempt
to make a flight during this period o.
the year. Whether or not the Army
flight to Venezuela Will be held next
year has not been determined. but 1t
is known that the Army airmen are
extremely anxious to accomplish the
aerial journey to Venezuela.