200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

2000

Charleston, S. C., as needed...

Required temporary strength, United States Marine Corps, including one brigade in France.

Total strength of United States Marine Corps, Jan. 22, 1918, including reservists and National Naval Volunteers..

New prison and oil station to be built, as needed.

Aviation as needed....

36, 334

100

500

300

100

300

300

100

500

Two regiments for advanced base brigade to replace those now on other duty outside the United States...

2,346

Skeleton brigade for San Diego.....

1,700

5, 119

Strength of Marine Corps, including one brigade in France..................

44, 653

There are a great many ships that they have no detachments on, such as battleships and first-class cruisers. They are not on there now because they are using the battleships as training places for engineers.

That 1,000 for ship detachments is based on the actual strength of the guard required for ships that have no guards now but are entitled to guards according to orders of Naval Operations.

Required temporary strength, United States Marine Corps, including one division in France.

Strength of Marine Corps, including 1 brigade in France..

Mr. BRITTEN. Did you not refer to a brigade as forty-odd thousand? Gen. BARNETT. No.

Mr. BRITTEN. In your former statement I thought you did.

Gen. BARNETT. The strength of the Marine Corps, including one brigade in France, that is required, 44,000, and, as I say, the strength of an army division, plus 50 per cent for replacements, is 37,710. While a division may be made up of two brigades, you can not double the size of a brigade and take that for the strength of a division A division is much larger than two brigades.

Mr. BRITTEN. Is that the reason you prefer a division?

Gen. BARNETT, No; I prefer the division for the reasons stated.in another part of my hearing, that in France, or any place, the division is now the unit of operations. Whenever you hear or read of so many men being at a particular place, or the Germans moving from one front to another, you do not hear that they moved so many regiments, but they moved so many divisions.

Mr. BRITTEN. What is the size of a division now?

Gen. BARNETT. The strength of a division, plus 50 per cent for replacements, is 37,710. That is copied from the Army schedules.

In the last bill you authorized for certain numbers of noncommissioned officers. We have found that this number of noncommissioned officers is not quite large enough, so I am recommending here that in order to more efficiently perform the duties required, the number of noncommissioned officers be left to the discretion of the Secretary of the Navy, as is the case in the Navy with petty officers. In cases of real emergency, to be decided only by the Secretary of the Navy, let him increase that number.

I wish to bring to the attention of the committee, that we are doing one thing in the way of recruiting that is a little out of the ordinary run.

Congressman Butler of Pennsylvania brought to the attention of these headquarters the fact that the authorities at West Chester, Pa., had made it obligatory for all male attendants at public schools. to be instructed in military warfare, and at the request of Congressman Butler a sergeant was detailed for this duty. În this way, there was inaugurated, for the first time in American history, compulsory military education at schools. There is no doubt that if this were followed by other communities much good would result therefrom, as it would lay the groundwork for universal military training. These headquarters are willing to cooperate in all respects with communities, so far as it is practicable to do so, to provide instructors for this purpose. We expect to get quite a large number of recruits from

this school.

I know of no better way of forwarding recruiting than this, because these young men, if they get the military training, when they get old enough, you may reasonably count on 50 per cent of them entering the service. Whether they enter the Marine Corps, the Army or the Navy, is immaterial, but they will have the military training and they will be better potential soldiers, as well as better citizens in every possible way.

Mr. BRITTEN. What is the average age of those pupils in West Chester?

Gen. BARNETT. I understand from 16 to 19 years old.

The CHAIRMAN. I want to ask you one or two questions. You were speaking about assigning an officer to West Chester.

Gen. BARNETT. A noncommissioned officer.

The CHAIRMAN. I am not speaking now in criticism, because I approve of that personally, but I want to ask for information, so that it will be in the record, under what authority of law do you do that? Gen. BARNETT. Under the recruiting regulations.

The CHAIRMAN. That is what I want to know because that question will be asked on the floor.

Gen. BARNETT. We are doing it under the general provisions for doing everything possible to stimulate recruiting, for the same reason that I detailed several noncommissioned officers to act as drill masters of a training corps that was gotten up in the city of Philadelphia and held two summer camps at Lansdowne, Pa., and I know of nothing in the whole recruiting system of the Marine Corps that yielded better returns than the work done by those noncommissioned officers in Lansdowne.

The CHAIRMAN. You mentioned about having two regiments in Cuba.

Gen. BARNETT. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. I thought you might want another one over there. Gen. BARNETT. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. Are you contemplating maintaining two or three regiments over there permanently?

Gen. BARNETT. Not exactly permanently, sir; but nobody can tell how long. I think if we had had three regiments in Cuba about a year ago, when a little trouble occurred down there, I think all of that trouble would have been eliminated; there would not have been any trouble there at all. I think the trouble in Cuba to-day is minor, but I feel sure that the presence of a number of marines in Cuba during this winter for training undoubtedly, in my opinion, helped to save the Cuban sugar crop against marauders.

The CHAIRMAN. You spoke about marine firemen getting extra pay. I will ask you if that is just a minimum?

Gen. BARNETT. It is not much.

The CHAIRMAN. Are there not very few? They told us last year that there were perhaps half a dozen.

Gen. BARNETT. It would be more than that.

The CHAIRMAN. The information they gave us last year was that they would not exceed half a dozen.

Mr. HICKS. Are you speaking about these firemen ?

The CHAIRMAN. These marines who do a fireman's duty down in the engine room.

Gen. BARNETT. I know of cases where a great many were down there for a long trip. As compared with the large number of marines on board, it is not a great number, but it is just a little discrimination. The sailor or deck hand doing exactly the same duty would not do any more, and yet he would get extra pay for it.

The CHAIRMAN. You spoke of a particular case by the name of Hurlburt, a little above 50 years. Last year, when the recommendations were submitted to the committee on age limitations, the official recommendation was 45 years, and the committee took the bit in its mouth and made it 50 years.

Gen. BARNETT. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. Now, you are wanting it increased. I wanted to ask you if you think that it is good legislation to increase a general provision of law upon the argument of isolated, individual cases here and there?

Gen. BARNETT. No, I do not think it is.

The CHAIRMAN. You have mentioned altogether about one individual upon which to predicate legislation in general for everybody above 50 years.

Gen. BARNETT. I would not make it general. If the record that I read of Hurlburt is sufficient to warrant it, then he deserves it. The CHAIRMAN. I understand, in other words, that your recommendation is for special legislation for him?

Gen. BARNETT. Yes.

The CHAIRMAN. Now, then, will you not open the door for every other fellow that wants to come in above 50 years?

Gen. BARNETT. Probably you might. His case is so pronounced. He is a man who on the battlefield in Samoa really saved those who were there and was awarded a medal of honor for it. He did such excellent service that I thought it was worthy of mention.

The CHAIRMAN. Last year the official recommendation was limited to 45 years and the committee itself put it at 50 years, thinking they could go up to that age.

Gen. BARNETT. I was not thinking of any particular man then.

The CHAIRMAN. Now, I am asking you if it is good legislation to pick out an individual case, an isolated case, and change the general legislation to meet this case?

Gen. BARNETT. I will say to that no, but I will say this, that I have known of several cases of legislation that, while made to appear to be general, was specific and so intended.

The CHAIRMAN. I understand. that.

We sometimes have too much of

Gen. BARNETT. Well, that is a matter, sir, upon which I have stated my views of the case.

The CHAIRMAN. Now, I wanted to ask you this further question: Without saying yes or no, affirmative or negative, but for the purpose of stating the question, assuming, and only assuming for the purpose of asking the question, that Gen. Pershing should recommend that no more Marines should be sent to France, and that the General Staff of the Army should recommend the same thing, would you insist on the Marines going, nevertheless?

Gen. BARNETT. I would insist, within my power, that the Marines who are there should stay there.

The CHAIRMAN. I am not talking about those who are there. I am talking about additional ones, if Gen. Pershing should recommend against sending them?

Gen. BARNETT. If Gen. Pershing should recommend that, and the General Staff should substantiate his recommendation, I feel perfectly sure that the Secretary of the Navy would not send any more.

men.

The CHAIRMAN. I am talking about what you would recommend, notwithstanding the recommendation of Gen. Pershing and the General Staff.

Gen. BARNETT. I would say it was for the American people to decide whether this war is a national war and whether it needs every man that can be put at the front.

The CHAIRMAN. I understand that.

Gen. BARNETT. My personal view is that if I had the power I would send every fighting man that I could to the front to-day. The President of the United States could send the whole Marine Corps if he wanted to.

The CHAIRMAN. I am just asking, if that condition should arise, what would be your recommendation?

Gen. BARNETT. I would not have the power to send them, but if I had the power to decide, if I were the Secretary of the Navy, I would send them all the same.

Mr. BUTLER. Is it possible to think that that situation could ever arise!

Gen. BARNETT. Do not ask me that question here.

Mr. KELLEY. I do not know whether it is proper for you to answer this question or not, but you will know, and you are pretty well informed, of course, as to the general stage of preparedness of the country for participation in the actual fighting on the other side, and the progress which has been made. In your judgment, will