Show I 10 iMPROVEMENT I IN II TUE MILITIA q Secretary of War in Annual Report Re Report Report port Says National Guard Has Advanced R k CONFORM IN JANUARY R Organization Armament and Discipline I pline Must lIo be Same as liS In lit Regular tiny Army 4 t Special Correspondence ft Washington Dee Dec 4 The annual re ro reP R port of ot tho secretary of oC war now In th P hands bands of oC the committee on military af aG a fair contains statements concerning s the Ithe he organized militia showing a Improvement along the lines linen sought In imi tho the derailments departments plan to Increase lh efficiency or of tho the national guard nonI now non I the tho first reserve of oC the regular forces force Secretary Dickinson says sas of oC the militia The strength of oC the th organized as s repotted reported by I y the tho officers of oC the regu Jar army after the annual spring s ring In ln Is III USI officers anu ana enlisted men This Is an Increase l lse of oC 98 o over oer cr that hat reported lust last year Not only has hns theio o been I con an Increase In numbers of oC the tho organized militia but ut It IL is gratifying to find that the ic re its arts of oC regular army officers made in 1 with instruction and mar mal marever ever camps and Held field exercises the past summer Indicate that thera therah h Us been a Il material Increase In the efficiency of ot the organized It has been tho cite first filSt year of ot operation let of t the now militia law In w and there th 0 Id Is reason to think that this increase se in military efficiency ratty may be I e attributed in part at ut least leut to the effect of oC this law Inn la laIn I fin In do some come directions direr dons the tle Improvement hits has been so 10 general as 1111 to lead the dopart depart ment to hope that the new law marks the tho beginning of or u transition movement I from rom old militia methods and old militia condition ill m connection with which the tho amusement and club features of oc militia life liCe were paramount to a new bet of DC conditions under un del which officers lend arid enlisted men of ot the organized militia appear ap al to look upon their tary fary duties In a 11 serious way and aid under which there thero appears to be an un hones honeR end and red earnest effort t on the part of ot both commissioned and nn enlisted personnel to attain a 0 standard of t real value fo Co CoId for Id service In war w u and und thereby to tic nc the objective of oC the tho new militia law lu to make the tho organized militia a Worthy worth component with the forces of the thc United States In mobilization of ot the two forces el elI far tor I war wat service MUST CONFORM IN 1 JANUARY JA UARY The new law provides that after actor the tho th 1st of January Januar 1910 In order to be bo clam d as organized militia and thereby enjoy the benefits of the time funds appropriated by b Congress and of ot the issues Dues made pursuant to law all nil state forces must have time the same amo organize armament and discipline as ns the regu resu regular flar lar army arm Tho The limiting dato dale was made originally Jan 21 l l OS but the date was wu extended two trO t yo years During the past year the authorities and legis legislatures r of bo states stater have hav been I een actively r engaged in ht endeavoring end to meet the thet t requirements ts of oC the law in regard to toI I conformity f with regular army arnny sum stand standards ards It may ma be said sald that conformity has been established in all nil but two states It has been beep necessary to Indicate to tl tho the state authorities that the tho law re to recq requires quires not only that there shall bo be con conformity as UK to organization and as to and equipment of oC their forces lateen but that the Limo discipline of oC tho organized militia shall be the same an ut that of the tho regular army tho the word discipline as us used e l In the Constitution nd the tho law being construed to mean moan hat Instruction und timid drill that may mo ba b necessary to give troops a real military for Cor field Held service after they shall shaH have EWe aye been organized d and equipped r TRAINING THE rIlE SPUN MEN MENI Ji I With Wait a view to meeting m tho the full ga lon on of oC the department In ht regard to tu Instruction there has hu been organized In inthe the Ih division of oC militia affairs an In branch blanch with the object of oC placing at nt the disposal 1 of tho tiro suites states leVory eely facility that can properly be ex extended extended F tended under the law luw to assist tho the tary tar authorities thereof In Imparting both theoretical and ami practical to the state forces Along these lines the department lva has haK encouraged the formation of correspondence schools Ifor for officers and enlisted men and In with encampments encampment and ami pedal po elal assemblages n for fOl field Instruction has as furnished commissioned officers and enlisted d men to assist In n giving practical practical Instruction Aside Ash from the thc thoo thool TIUcal l Instruction imparted by b corre lonco schools lectures by b commis com officers o rn and special I literature prepared and mill Issued to of oC tho rho thoo organized o militia the question of prat 1 licit Heal Is III being I closely ob obed ed by the department This Timis divides 1 H IC Into two lave classes viz the practical cal instruction that can be 00 given hen In armories and that which can be given give Tonly on only I In the field LACK LAeK OF AI Tho The most mOlt serious difficulty affecting he the question of Instruction of ot the or 01 organized at present Is la the lack of oC armory armor accommodations In Innan nany nan fit of f tho th states The Time department la Is lal 1 l f C time the opinion that the states slate should such Buch armories for storage fa Ca for tor the valuable military stores by b the federal government me of the lie status states hive had a II keen ap appreciation of ot this obligation ol and have hwo Spooled responded splendidly thereto others n r making malting adequate provision to meet him hL obligation but It II N II regretted that lint n some fome states state tho the question has hus not flat re ro Ived any effective attention It h is f urged that Congress make a n suit Bult suite e ble appropriation to carry entry out the tho pol poly y of the thu department to have Joint mat ma t eumers u between mf the tho state Ot forces and andt d I IS t Iho he car ear regular forces forcen during durin the ensuing AUXILIARY TROOPS Thu The instruction of the tho auxiliary troops coops field artillery 0 waIr signal and antI medical corps corp in their field forms a n special A Avery very vel solution Is IK believed to have en initiated during durin tho the past l summer connection with the Instruction ot of LIT r I Kho IJ a Held fell artillery cm on the tho government tit at Sparta Is Three Held field hOlb of Instruction for medical of sets cers wore o also hold held at Spar and tho the Presidio of oC San Francisco ry II nc and enlisted men of th the s sl l batteries were lm Inn with L e a regular officers anti and men for drill o and through h close doe also aKsa allan atlon lon and the Instruction e ero made possible 1 knowledge knowl e uni and lining hung were pro acquired u that cannot bo be beS S tamed Ined from rum books or 01 from tram ordinary 1 Ills 1118 as nil conducted by the militia Inh In 1 1 ell tir armories or on their thUr home homo fields fi I II h ho o reports which have como come 0 In from fromIn rein I 1 tt 1 In I camp Indicate d that the tho h method t was Its Ite successful and lead leall to the sut 1111 lon lIon that it may mn ho be utilized In gh instruction to cavalry engineers ul I 1 signal corps corp troops Thc he encampments wore were con along the same general line Uno ox ex ext pt t that they were limited to officers The Tha organized modal I field hospitals with a n complete comple complement complement ment of officers and men In connection connection connection tion therewith a n course of Instruction for medical officers In their practical field Held duties as distinguished from their thelt I medical and surgical duties was inaugurated Inaugurated anti and carried out by the tho surgeon general and officers of ot the medical department de department department About officers of the or organized militia participated in these those en encampments encampments encampments COAST ARTILLERY Most encouraging progress hits has hn been made during durin the tho pant past year In develop developing InS hag tho the policy polle of oC the war department In regard to creating an adequate body bod of ot coast artillery artiller troops for tor use Inthe In Inthe Inthe the coast fortifications fortifieR supplementing thereat the coast artillery of at the regu re I Ilar bar lar ar troops The rhe proposition presented by b the chief of oC coast artillery In his annual report for the year 1907 1007 was a that list of the troops required for fOl providing one shift for manning the guns and mortars provided for forthe forthe forthe the defense of tho the United States proper propE r should be supplied from the organized militia In 1896 Massachusetts on her hel own Initiative took tho the first step tep in I this his direction by b assigning one of oC her hor Infantry regiments to coast artillery duties This was followed in 1906 1901 by byNon II Now Non York assigning the time Thirteenth Brooklyn regiment to similar duty In III 1907 1007 the tho seaboard sc board states state were Invited I to o have a n number of their Infantry organizations organization participate with Ith the tho reg regular I Iular ular liar coast const artillery In ex I The object of this was to bring to tho the attention of the state au nu authorities the importance of or the problem len lem em of ot coast defense defens and mad to present to 0 the and men of the tho organized militia something of ot the nature of oC tho the work vork connected therewith In ht order to ascertain whether It would appeal to them hem In any an way as a desirable sor service ice Ico co RIFLE PRACTISE The Tho reports of oC record rifle practise held during the tho season reason of 1908 1903 do not show how the Improvement over tho the results of oC 1907 that was expected Time The range facilities fa ta facilities In many states sates were inadequate and amid for tor that thaI reason some lomo of oC tho time or 01 organizations could not conduct con uc their practise In tho limo densely densel populated sec sections Ions the lie acquisition of oC a II range of sum clent size Is almost Impossible Ie on account ac account account I count of oC tho the prohibitive prices of ot land Difficulty Is Js experienced also In rent 1 ng rig land on account of or a prejudice against a rifle firing of ot tho the people living In n tho the vicinity In very ver few tew instances can cnn n a range ranSe be bo obtained near a city and unless quick transportation facil facilIties facilities are furnished many persons are arc prevented from attendance on the thu range on account of their employment or mr business Interests militia teams team attended he time national match motch at Camp Perry Perr Ohio Dub this year ear The improvement in rifle firing at this contest over that of mf previous years yearn was wa particularly particular noticeable Past records were sur surpassed passed at almost every range The Improvement In team firing Is apparent from rom the tho fact that the tho lowest score nude made by b 43 teams during the last match hatch was gi greater cater than that made mado by bytho ho tho tenth team In a field of or 50 teams of ot f the year before While the results arc ire due duo largely to better ammunition hun him that used ed In any prior match still It t is thought improved methods of o in in instruction f havo been followed and greal great greater grealer er r earnestness and application shown It 1 Is noticeable that tho the states slates with the he highest standing In the tho national matches catches show the best results In their Individual range practise |