Evening star., 1933-07-26
ALLOTMENT AIDS
OFFICER TRAINING
Additional ST, 100000 Grant.
ed by War Department
Through Roosevelt.

On intercession of President RooSe-
welt, an additional Sl000,0C0 has beer
allotted to the War Department for IA
day field training this Summer of junior
officers of the Organized Reserve, it was
learned today.
This will make possible attendance at
camps of 7.400 officers of the grade OF
captain and under, who had been barred
from Summer training by lack of funds
Douglas Informs Dern.
Secretary of War Dern received q
letter late Yesterday from Budget Di-
rector Douglas announcing the allot-
ment of the additional money, which
will be withdrawn from the S4,374, 1882
of the appropriation for the Organized
Reserve which had been impounded
under the economy act.
Consequently. no other branch Of the
service will lose by the allotment OF the
funds to the Reserve Corps, the total
to the War Department for the fiscal
year being increased from S228,Ol6,586
to S229,016,586.
Under original plans for training the
Organized Reserve Corps during the
current fiscal year only 3.l5l officers
could have had active duty training
this Summer. OF these, 1909 we're
field officers-that is, of the rank of
major or above.
The communication of Mr.. Douglas
specifically states the President desires
the s1,000.000 to be applied solely to
the training of junlor-grade otflcers OF
the combat services, and particularly
to commissioned graduates of the Re-
serve officers Training Corps.
Intensive Campaign Waged.
Allotment of the new fund followed
an intensive campaign by the National
Reserve officers Association.
On call of Col. L. Kempler Williams
of New Orleans, president of the asso-
citation, the National Council of the or
ganization met here Monday with 1l8
officers present. A resolution was
adopted, urging training this Summer
of the greater proportion of the more
than 10000 reserve officers IN the
United States. and emphasizing the i'm
portance of the Organized Reserve In
the scheme of national defense.
Monday afternoon committee rep
resenting the council, was received by
the President and presented ITS case.
The group consisted of Col. Williams.
Maj. Phelps Montgomery, New Haven,
president of the 1st Corps Area; Lieut..
Col F. A. Loomis. Binghamton, N. y,
president of the I'd Corps Area;
Lieut., Col. T. H. Mediation, Athens, Ga.
president of the Georgia Department
and Mai. Bennett A. Molter, national
secretary of the association, with head
quarters here. -,
The President was sympathetic WIN
the training of junior officers" said
Mai. Molter. "and displayed unusual
knowledge of such matters. We told
him we had sought the add1tonal
money from Mr. Douglas without sue
cess. When Col Williams asked him
what message we should carry back
to the association the President SAID
to tell them he would try to get the
money"
Eligibility Lists Ready.
Orders making public the eligibility
of additional Reserve officers for Sum-
mer field training were expected to go
from the War Department shortly 10
all corps area commanders. .,,
Besides the Reserve officers who Will
90 on active duty this Summer. there
are 1872 serving with the Civilian
Conservation Corps. In ALL approx
mately one-eighth of the Reserve Off
Ger personnel of the Nation will have
active training this year. Col; VII
liams served notice that "notwlth-
Standing economic conditions. we will
work for provision next year to train
at least one half of the officers eligible
for training"
"The choice lies between giving the
Organized Reserve a reasonable amount
of active duty field training or disbano-
ing it." Col Williams said. The Sew
enty-second Congress appropriated FUNDS
suficient to train not less than 2O.00o
reserve officers during the fiscal year
1894"
The sum referred to by Col. Williams
totaled Sc 354.3 .348, but when two-th1rds
of it had been impounded by the econ
omy act, only $1.979966 was left. This
sum was expected to cover all expense
of the Reserve Corps throughout the
year, including field training. corre-
spondence course and training assem-
blies during the Winter.