Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-11-26
FIGHT is FORECAST
ON SMALLER ARMY
Strong Opposition to Reduc-
ing Land Forces Anticipated
if Reduction Is Asked.
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

Army men and friends of national
defense generally are on the tiptoe
of expectancy with regard to President
Hoover's forthcoming recommendations
about military expenditure. They are
likely to be contained in his message
to the regular session of Congress next
week. The President waited, before
putting them on paper, for the general
somewhat to the Armys consterna-
tion-last Summer. The nature of
the Stairs report has not been dis
closed. The well informed assumption
is that, while Gen. Summerall and his
colleagues may advise cuts and curtain
mentS in the military establishment
here and there, they have not proposed
to the Commander-in-C Chief any draS-
tic slasheS in Uncle Sans land defense
If, despite possible general stair
counsel that the United States Army
Is already Skeletonized to the bons,
Mr.. Hoover should call upon Congress
substantially to reduce the Army
budget, the President is in for a CON-
test with Capitol Hill. Both in the
House and in the Senate are members
determined to keep the country's sword
sharp and its powder dry on present
lines, believing those lines to be the
irreducible minimum compatible with
national security.
Still Feel Economy.
AS a matter of fact, military officials
intimately associated with the budget
and engaged more or less constantly
with 1t declare that the Army has never
recovered from the Coolidge economy
era. During the former Presidents five
and q hall years of office the drive for
retrenchment at the War Department
was intensive. AS q consequence, so
Army leaders contend, hardly a penny
was devoted to strictly military pur-
poses that was not deemed utterly in
dispensable. The corresponding result
was that q lot Of things were left un-
done which the leaders wanted to do,
but for which they lacked the where
withal
During the past five years there has
been steady, but unavoidable, increase
in the Army expenditures owing to
ly military" budget was roundly $780,
100000. Since then it has risen to
$3.50, 100000. The difference of $70,-
600, 900 is due % to the annual in
stallment Of the f1ve-year Army Air
Corps costs, ca TO the urgent need of
better and more housing facilities for
troops and CD to the fact that where
the World War, the Army was able to
live on a large amount of surplus war
stocks, these have gradually been used
up, requiring the purchase of new sup
plies at prices much heavier than
former rates.
BY far the biggest item in the Army
budget is the pay for officers and men
J and for allowances to retired personnel.
There has been no increase whatever
in the pay of Army men since 1922.
although salaries and wages in virtually
every other field of occupation have
gone up during the past seven years.
political Garrisons."
| Most of the talk concerning Army
cuts has ranged around midcontinent
military posts, the Coast Artillery and
the Cavalry branch. The posts have
come under fire on the ground that for
the most part they are political garri-
sons"-ie, establishments maintained
not so much for their military value as
for the glory and patronage uses Of
members of Congress. While the spo-
litical garrisons'' East and West doubt
less possess these advantages for states