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Show I - -J ' " ----- , - .' , , reservations, while to establlah larr. ' posts In the East would require vut out-i lays to secure maneuver grounds. It Is ! not the purpose to do away with t small posts, said the Secretary, nor wou'a ' it be necessary to do so iJn,.virnian .bro"Kht up the cub. Ject of travel pay, 'especially as to the' payment of Gen. Wood's expenses on inl occasion of his visit to the United fctatoa from the Philippines last summer for tne ! purpose of having a surgical operation performed. Secretary Taft said the firet Intimation he had had that the General desired to come to Boston for the operation opera-tion was received In a cablegram from Gen. Corbln, who said that Wood was suffering from Injuries received seven years ago In the line of duty, and he asked secrecy because he did not want to alarm Gen. Wood s mother. Gen. Wood explained that he had no means except his salary, and suggested that he be on duty status. which the Secretary told him could be dona, hi aide. Cant. Drv. hin norm it. ..j . - VAr:::xaTOX. rarch 27. Secretary Taft discussed yesterday with the Senate Committee on Military Affairs the recommendation recom-mendation of the President regarding the distribution of army officers among the army posts. lie crltlcleed the present system, saying that It Is deficient in that It does not afford officers an opportunity for exercising command over large forces, lie attributed the system to the fact that la the earlier days many posts were desirable on the frontier,' and that it is difficult to discontinue a system once established. es-tablished. - . Yet, he said, there is a tendency toward an Improvement, as seen in the establishment establish-ment of rerlmental posts in this country snd of brigade posts In the Philippines. Forts Riley, Leavenworth, Russell and Sam - Houston, in this country, can, he said, be easily transformed into brigade poptw. At ell tt Tt there sre large company him. . They had not traveled on a transport because of the crowded condition con-dition of those vessels, and vouchers! for mileage were Issued for the transportation transporta-tion for both the General and his aid from Manila to Boston, via Hongkong, but the mileage from Manila to Hongkong Hong-kong was reduced because of the ue of ' the transport. - The secretary said that the Boston operation was not entirely satisfactory i to the general's friends . in tho United i States, Including the President: accordingly accord-ingly the general remained here from July j 7. when the operation was performed, tin- ' til August 24, when, at the suggestion of the surgeon-general, the President issued an order directing Gen. Wood to return i to the Philippines via London for th purpose of consulting a specialist there : Accordingly. Military Secretary Alnsworth ' Issued an order directing Wood to proceed pro-ceed to London on confidential service which the order said had been explained to the general by the President. Tbo entire en-tire trip of Wood and his aide around the world had. said the secretary, boat ' th government about 3000. ' "Do- you know of any other officer who has traveled on a liner and had bis expenses ex-penses paid instead of using a transport V asked Senator Overman. This question, at which the witness laughed aloud, was followed by another inquiry as to whether Gen. Corbln bad done so. He replied that Corbln had not. "He applied for an order, but I did not give it." In this connection he referred to his last summer's trip to the Orient, saying that he had told the army officers on that trip they would be allowed their expenses, but not mileage. "When we got to Hong Kong." ha said. "I received an order from the President to go to Canton to interview the viceroy on' the boycott, and the officers ac coins panied me in uniform. Subsequently I gave them an order for the pay of their mileage on that trip, supposing that it covered only their expenses to Canton, but I found afterward that It had been construed as covering the: entire trio to San Francisco. When this was explained to me I made a new order, which was! the same as the order made in the Wood case. Gen. Corbln came on a liner and paid his own expenses." The committee then adjourned until Wednesday. , , |