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Show I ARMY BILL IS I AGREED UPON House and Senate Conferees Decide on 206,659 Men, Peace Strength and 254,- 000 in Time of War. I SENATE SYSTEM HOLDS President Authorized to In- i crease to Maximum Strength Without Congressional Action. Washington, May 13. A regular H army of over 206,000 men at peace lnrengtu' capable of expansion to 254 -H 000 men in time of war, was agreed H upon today by house and senate con-H con-H ferees on the army reorganization bill, H first of the big national defense meas-H meas-H ures. The report will be submitted to H both branches of congress for ratifica-M ratifica-M lion next week. j In the agreement on the regular H army the senate bill system of organ- H ization was retained as a substitute H for the house system which would M have recruited a maximum army of H 140,000 men. H President Given Authority. The regular line of the armv, the M bill now provides, can never go bc- low 160,000, and its maximum HI strength In times of peace would be I 175,000 officers and men. In this cal-HI cal-HI culation, however, there are excluded I 5723 Philippine scouts, G409 in the HI quartermasters' corps 7290 in the med-H med-H ical department; 3387 in the signal H corps, and 8750 unassigned recruits, a j total of 31,650. TheBo added to the H regular line of 175,000 men give a j total regular army peace strength H of 206,659. The president is author-H author-H Jzed to increase the regular army divi- -pions to maximum strength, without congressional action. Under the conference agreement the regular army would consist of 65 regiments of infantry, 25 regiments of cavalry, 21 regiments of field artillery, ar-tillery, a coast artillery corps of 30,-009 30,-009 officers and men, a signal corps of 3387 mea including the aviation section, and seven regiments of engineers, engi-neers, In the aviatioa section, the number of officers is increased from a total of sixty to 148, including one colonel, one lieutenant colonel, eight majors 24 captains and 114 first lieutenants. The organization plan contemplates attaining thorfull peace strength with- in five years as proposed in the orig- innl preparations plans. General Line Officers. General officers of the lino would be increased by four major generals and nineteen brigadier generals. The general staff of the army would be increased from 34 officers to 52. Tho provision of the senate bill which would have placed five officers of the National Guard in the general staff was stricken out, but provision was made for officers of the National Guard to be assigned to volunteer citizens citi-zens camps at government expense. An effort to give volunteer citizens iu camp pay for enlisted men whilo in MB "" ii i in i'w i pi I, training camps, failed. Vocational Training Provided For. A provision for vocational training for men in the regular army regulated regulat-ed by the secretary of war was left in the bill and the house proposal for government operation of nitrate manufacturing man-ufacturing plants to coBt not more than $20,000,000 also was accepted. Selection Se-lection of sites is left to the president. presi-dent. The product of the plants when not needed in war time may be sold for fertilizer under executive regulations. regula-tions. Authorized to Seize Plants. Authority for thogovemment to seize and operate, private plants for Ti jij'ipjui u.11 iiijh 1 .... i, .. i ... .. ...j. manufacture of munitions of war in tme of need Is given and the president presi-dent is empowered to appoint a board of five men, two civilians and three army officers to investigate the advisability ad-visability of establishment of government govern-ment plants for their manufacture. The board would. The board would report before January Jan-uary 1, 1917. Tho president Is authorized to appoint ap-point a board to investigate the mobilization mob-ilization of industries In time of war. Tho regular army enlistment Is fixed at seven years, three with tho colors and four In reserve, but ifN enlisted men master military, training In one 1 ' I " " " li'"n.JU hiim.ii If '" I . year and wish to retire to the reserve they may be permitted, on proving efficiency and upon recommendation of superior officers. Final Agreement Reached. Final agreement was reached on the long disputed measure after a short session of the conference committee Another meoting will be held Monday to sign the report. .,',,IIthil!!f J1, we ho-ve an excellent bill, said Chairman Chamberlain of the senate military affairs" committee. commit-tee. Chairman May 0f the houBo committee also praised the report and approval by both houses is expected The volunteer reserve army of 261,- . m i icg l 000 men provided in the senate bill J 4 f cs ul; leaving tho resorvc army to I ' r? atl0nal Guard, which will be f: ; louerallzed, according to provisions of '1 the house bill. All officers and men I' c oi -he guard must take oath of allegi : I ance to the United States as well as to i t the respective states. r1 of J h0 National Guard at maximum I strength would be recruited on the i oasis of 800 men to each congressional I -1 of l"S oiSihlcl1 W0Uld negate a total 5 J of 4-5,000 men. Thlh reserve force, $ fS 5-?eAhfter w,th th regular army of ftti! 304,000 war strength, would produce u 'if combined defense force of 679,000 lift men. ill I |
