Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-02

the Army or military association OF
which officers or enlisted men have
membership and which carries paid adj
vertising of firms doing business with
the Government"
The legislation was backed by Sena-
tor Moses, Republican, of New Hamp-
shire, chairman of the Joint Committee
it was designed to take care OF a
''vexed subject"
Hits Branch Journals.
The principal sufferers will be some
thing less than a dozen technical pub
locations, issued as on-proht-making
ventures by associations of officers from
the several arms of the military serv-
ice in order to keep the men in these
branches conversant with current de-
velopments affecting their particular
fields.
The list includes the Infantry Jour-
nal, Cavalry Journal, Coast Artillery
Journal, Field Artillery Journal, Guar
Army Ordnance and Military Surgeon
All are issued bi-monthly or monthly
and date back many years.
Association OfFicials Resign.
Confusion also has arisen as to just
how far actual membership in the vari-
Gus associations would be affected
continue under the auspices of the as
sociationS, and the judge advocate gen.
eral has been asked for ruling.
The QuartermaSter Association al
ready has dropped its official personnel
Of active officers, headed by Maj. Gen.
j. L. De Witt, quartermaster general,
and taken on new board of Reserve
officers, with Col. w. L. Conrad of New
York as president, in order that there
may be no conflict with the law.
The Association of Military Surgeons
of the United States, which draws men,
bership from Army. Navy and Public
Health and will continue its Journal as
usual, has dropped active Army officers
from its official staff, while Regular
Army officers in official posts in the
Association Of Military Engineers have
rendered their designations.
In presenting the amendment, Sen
ator Moses, without mentioning any
publication by name, said that Sub
terfuges" were being resorted to in the
issuance of some" to evade the plain
intent" of the law Of 1919 designed 10
curb departmental publications.
Holds Printers Own Stock.
"Some of the publications are nomi-
nally published by associations, but we
find upon investigation that 81 per cent
of the stock of the association Is owned
by printing company which secures
the work of printing the publications
and which employs agents to solicit adj
vertising, putting the publications in
competition with every other magazine
in the country, and, more than that,
seeking their advertising chiefly from
concerns which do business with the
Government" he said.
Again he added Another burden
placed upon the Government by reason
of the publications is that they all Sc
cure the preferential rate of postage;
that is to say they are circulated all
over the country at the fiat rate of l u
cents per pound, whereas magazines
with which they come into contact and
positive competition have to pay the
zone rate upon their advertising con-
tents"
A survey Of the field here this morn
ing indicated that the medical aSsocia-
ton was the only one that had decided
on its future action in the publications
crisis.
In one instance disagreement was
taken with Senator Moses as to the
connection between the restrictive law
Of 1919 and the present case, 1t being
said that 1t was understood that that
law was intended TO curb only publica-
tons issued at Government expense.
Need Advertising.
One view of the matter was that so
far as the technical publications are
concerned they face a precarious Situa-
ton, in that they need advertising in
order to exist, and that it would be diff
ficult to get any that would be within
the law.
From another quarter, however, came
the opinion that the officers themselves
had sufficient pride in continuing the
publications TO take steps to carry on
without advertising. For example, the
dues in the various organizations, such
as the Infantry Association, range
around So annually, which includes a
subscription to the organization maya
zine. 1t was suggested that these dues
might be raised or that contributions
from the Army men themselves might
be solicited to finance the publications
The thought was emphasized that the
journals have definite value to their
readers, and that furthermore, in their
issuance the officers are going along
with the same practice followed in for
eign countries.
As the appropriations amendment was
originally drawn, not only active, but
retired men, also would have been
barred from having any part in the
publications, but this latter class was
eliminated.
However, there is feeling that the
set-up under which men on active serv-
ice have been getting out the journals
in connection with their other duties
was most satisfactory, since a retired
officer would not be expected to keer
in touch with daily problems as would