The Ely miner., 1940-07-04

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#$ T. c. ceremonies.
bers began to decline Immediately
after peace was declared, and by
1923 only $50 public high schools of
fered military training, and 47,O8C
students were taking it.
Same in Secondary Schools.
The same general story is true Of
private secondary schools during the
same period, the study shows. In
1914, 86 prep schools were giving
military drill to 6,835 boys; by 1918,
474 boys schools were giving mill.
tary instruction to 1888 students
and 65 girls schools were drilling
1859 girls in military formations
BY 1928, this number was back to
116 prep schools offering military in.
struction, with 49, ,528 cadets taking it.
Thus, the report points out, in
1918, at the peak of the war effort,
a total of 1,739 public and private
secondary schools were giving mil
itary training to 1875, 1879 boys, and by
1923 the combined total had fallen
to 366 schools giving military train
ing to 63,608 boys. The study points
out as matter of comparative in
terest that today approximately 18O
public and private secondary schools
in the United States are giving war
department-supervised military in
struction to more than 10000 ca
diets, compared with a combined to-
tai of 161 public and private Sec
ondary schools in 1914 which were
giving military "drill," in many
cases of a very sketchy nature, to
1887 boys.
A number of private military
academies were not included in the
1914 figures, and private military
academies not under war depart
ment supervision are not included
in the current figures, the report
points out however, the compare
tive growth in number of military
trainees would not be greatly
changed, could the additional figures
be obtained, the study states, be-
cause direct checkup of compare
tive attendance at Al military
schools which furnished the insur-
ance company with their 1916 and
1888 enrolment figures showed an
increase of some $50 per cent in
average attendance.
New Units Desired.
The war department has applica-
tions now on file from universities,
colleges, high schools, and prep
schools for so additional senior R. o.
T. c. corps and Ill junior units.
None have been added since the fs-
cal year of 1887, as no funds have
been available for the purpose since
then.
Annual cost of the r. o. T. G. runs
about $11, 500, ,00O-a minor item in
our gigantic defense budget, the
study points out. Of this, $4,000, 900
goes for uniforms, equipment, and
general expense of operation, and
61s million dollars for salaries of
the army officers and noncoms de-
tailed as instructors.
University and college R. o. T. c.
men who elect to take the advanced
course-third and fourth years-re-
ceive about $175 in pay from the
government during their two years
of study, plus free transportation to
and from a Six-weekS' training
camp, plus all expenses while at
the camp.
Only about one student out of six
in the basic two-year course elects
to continue in the advanced course,
the study finds. A little over 5000
men completed their four years SEN
ior training, during the school year
ending this month. Ordinarily, only
a part of the graduates apply for
commissions; due to limitations in
vacancies, only part of the appli-
cants are actually commissioned.
When effect is given to designations
and retirements from the active list,
the net result has been an increase
of about 1,5O0 per year in recent
years, in total Reserve strength.
In spite of many alarms during
peace years by radical organizations
and peace groups, which declared
that the R. o. T. c. was likely to
militarize the youth of the United
States, it has continued to operate
in less than 10 per cent of our
schools of college grade and in far
smaller percentage of public high
schools, and has turned out an ex-
cellent grade of trained men the
r. o. T. c. now bids fair to re-
ceive, in the present emergency,
some credit and recognition for its
part in providing for one vital phase
of democracy's defense.