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Show COAST ARTILLERY CORPS NEEDS MEN WASHINGTON. Dec. 7. With all of the great gun batteries planned for tho United States scacouat defoiisos b3' the Endicott board twenty-BOven years ago nearing completion, tho army faces a serious problem in (ha lack or artillory-men. artillory-men. to man the fortifications. This situation was brought to tho attention of the war department today In the annual report of Brigadier General E. M. Weaver, chief of coast artillery. He reported, that hia corps had "less than one-fourth or one relief" available for permanent duty in the batteries, and tho organized militia was not prepared pre-pared to furnish ita roquirod quota of reserves. All of the fortifications planned by tho Endicott board havo boon completed, com-pleted, tho report said, except the proposed pro-posed batteries at Capo Henry to do. fend Chesapeake bay and San Pedro, Cal., the port of Los Augoles, which haa been added to tho porta to bo do-feuded. do-feuded. Appropriations already have been made for these projects. , For tho home ports of the United States Goneral Weaver said there now romainB to perfect in tho gun defenso only tho completion of tho supply of ammunition and tho extension of the standard firo control system, with searchlights; and those are being supplied sup-plied at a satisfactory rate. , The corps 1b at present short 477 officers offi-cers and 11,280 enlisted men of the strength roquired to man the defonscs. To add to the difficulty, he pointed out, heavy draft must bo made upon tho corps to man tho over-sea dofenses, and after thoy havo been provided for. thore will remnin but 319 officers and 7207 regular coast artillery troops for tho service of tho gun batteries of the continental Unitod estates. Tho last report shows, Goneral Weaver added, that tho militia coast artillory availablo is composed of only 127 companies, 408 officers and 7243 enlisted men, and he recommended therefore that tho states bo urged to provide their duo proportion of ooast artillery troops, and that congress bo asked to provide the nocossary number of troops to -man the defenses. . Special firing with mortars, the report re-port said, has demonstrated that a director di-rector of fire soveral miles from a battery bat-tery can obtain very accurate results. Goneral Weaver remarked that this fact opened up a new field in tho application ap-plication of such fire to covor remote water areas and tho landward approchca to coast forts. - |