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Show CHUN TROOPS FOR THE MILITIA OF THISSTSTE Request has been formally made to the war department by Adjutant General Gen-eral E. A. Wedgwood of tho National Guard of Utah for permission to convert con-vert the five companies of Infantry now in the guard. into cavalry troops, supplementing troop A, and to organize organ-ize two more cavalry troops, giving the state militia two complete battalions battal-ions of cavalry. The plan for reorganizing the militia mili-tia was made public yesterday by Gen-crtl Gen-crtl Wedgwood, and it Is bolleved taht the change will be made within a month or so, Inasmuch as the war department de-partment is desirous of creating more, mounted militia unlLs in tho west,. Tho change has been under discussion before the officers of the militia for some time. The infantry organizations which will become cavalry troops under the new order of things are company II of Salt Lake and the Infantry companies In Ogden, Mt. Ploasant, Ephralnj nnd MantI, and the infantry band. Of UlQ two new troops one will be organized In Logan and the other probably in Provo, although this has still to bo dcternjined. Logan Wants Company. Logan has petitioned for a company in the national guard, and there Is said to bo the nucleus of an organization organiza-tion In Provo ready to join. The change is expected to be made without any increased expense for maintenance to the state, request being be-ing made to the war department .for the necessary cavalry equipment ana horses from the unallotted militia funds. This Is In line with the suggestion sugges-tion conveyed bj' a circular issued by the war department in 1914 to the effect ef-fect that the Sixteenth military division, divi-sion, of which the Utah guard is a unit comprised too many infantry or ganizations and recommending the conversion of some of them into cav airy The success of troop A, formerly the signal corps of the Utah militia, as a cavalry organization, also led the officers of the guard to view with complacency the switch in the branch of service for the infantry companies. At a recent government inspection troop A mustered three moro than the required sixty-five men. all fully equipped. equip-ped. Effect of Reorganization. The reorganization will make the national guard consist of two battalions battal-ions of cavalry and the cavalry band, a battery of artillery and the medical corps and sanitary troops, approximating approxi-mating 900 men and officers. Later it is planned to increase the cavalrv to a full regiment and the artillery to a complete battalion Mjor W. G. Williams of the infantry, ranking field officer of the guard, will command com-mand the new cavalry unit. The text of Adjutant General Wedgwood's Wedg-wood's letters to the chief of the division di-vision of military affairs of the wav department, setting forth the proposed propos-ed changes, follows 1. I desire to convert the band and the five companies of Infantry of this state into the same number of troops of cavalry with band, and apply for the approval of the war department for such change. 2. I request that at the proper time circular No. 19 D. M. A... 1914, be modified in harmony with such con version. 3 I request approval of the department depart-ment to the organization of two additional addi-tional troops of cavalry at an early date, at an opportune time, so that that branch of the service will consist of two soundrons. i. I request that the two additional troons b equipped from unallotted funds when organized and funds are available therefore, and that I be sdviod when such equipment enn bt sunpHed. 5. I 'pniiest that such equipment-- not common to both Infantry ami $jTI cavalry as is necessary to equip five I'afli troops of cavalry bo furnished the iff state from unallotted funds, and tfiat f I I 1 be granted permission to roturnto ( fi the arsenal such Infantry equipment' III as will bo discharged by the conver-J . If' sion of five companies of infantry Into f cavalry, and that such equlpnientbj; f-l be so discarded and returned be d'esig; ,: J jf nated to me, return to be made after1' A V ' receipt of cavalry equipment .-iV ?; I (Signed) E A. WEDGWOOD. V ; ' .. 1 ! I |