sistant paymasters-general with the rank of colonel, four deputy paymasters-general with the rank of lieutenant-colonel, twenty paymasters with the rank of major, and twenty-five paymasters with the rank of captain, mounted: Provided, That all vacancies in the grade of colonel and lieutenant colonel created or caused by this section shall be filled by promotion according to seniority, as now prescribed by law, and no more appointments to the grade of major and paymaster shall be made until the number of majors and paymasters is reduced below twenty: And provided, That persons who have served in the Volunteer Army since April twenty-first, eighteen hundred and ninety-eight, as additional paymasters may be appointed to positions in the grade of captain, created by this section. So long as there remain surplus majors an equal number of vacancies shall be held in the grade of captain, so that the total number of paymasters authorized by this section shall not be exceeded at any time.

SEC. 22. That the Corps of Engineers shall consist of one Chief of Engineers with the rank of brigadier-general, seven colonels, fourteen lieutenant-colonels, twenty-eight majors, forty captains, forty first lieutenants, and thirty second lieutenants. The enlisted force provided in section eleven of this Act and the officers serving therewith shall constitute a part of the line of the Army: Provided, That the Chief of Engineers shall be selected as now provided by law, and hereafter vacancies in the Corps of Engineers in all other grades above that of second lieutenant shall be filled, as far as possible, by promotion according to seniority from the Corps of Engineers: And provided also, That vacancies remaining in the grades of first and second lieutenant may be filled by transfer of officers of the Regular Army, subject to such professional examination as may be approved by the Secretary of War. Vacancies in the grade of second lieutenant not filled by transfer shall be left for future promotions from the corps of cadets at the United States Military Academy.

SEC. 23. That the Ordnance Department shall consist of one Chief of Ordnance with the rank of brigadier-general, four colonels, six lieutenant-colonels, twelve majors, twenty-four captains, and twenty-four first lieutenants, the ordnance storekeeper, and the enlisted men, including ordnance sergeants, as now authorized by law. All vacancies created or caused by this section shall, as far as possible, be filled by promotion according to seniority as now prescribed by law.

EC. 24. That the Signal Corps shall consist of one Chief Signal Officer with the rank of brigadier-general, one colonel, one lieutenant-colonel, four majors, fourteen captains, four

teen first lieutenants, eighty first-class sergeants, one hundred and twenty sergeants, one hundred and fifty corporals, two hundred and fifty first-class privates, one hundred and fifty second class privates, and ten cooks: Provided, That vacancies created or caused by this section shall be filled by promotion of officers of the Signal Corps according to seniority, as now provided by law. Vacancies remaining after such promotions may be filled by appointment of persons who have served in the Volunteer Signal Corps since April twenty-first, eighteen hundred and ninety-eight: Provided, That the President is authorized to continue in service during the present emergency, for duty in the Philippine Islands, five volunteer signal officers with the rank of first lieutenant and five volun teer signal officers with the rank of second lieutenant. This authority shall extend only for the period when their services may be absolutely necessary.

SEC. 25. That the officers of the Record and Pension Office of the War Department shall be a chief of said office with the rank of brigadier-general and an assistant chief of said office with the rank of major: Provided, That any person appointed to be Chief of the Record and Pension Office after the passage of this Act shall have the rank of colonel.

SEC. 26. That so long as there remain any officers holding permanent appointments in the Adjutant-General's Department, the Inspector-General's Department, the Quartermaster's Department, the Subsistence Department, the Pay Department, the Ordnance Department, and the Signal Corps, including those appointed to original vacancies in the grades of captain and first lieutenant under the provisions of sections sixteen, seventeen, twenty-one, and twenty-four of this Act, they shall be promoted according to seniority in the several grades, as now provided by law, and nothing herein contained shall be deemed to apply to vacancies which can be filled by such promotions or to the periods for which the officers so promoted shall hold their appointments, and when any vacancy, except that of the chief of the department or corps, shall occur, which can not be filled by promotion as provided in this section, it shall be filled by detail from the line of the Army, and no more permanent appointments shall be made in those departments or corps after the original vacancies created by this Act shall have been filled. Such details shall be made from the grade in which the vacancies exist, under such system of examination as the President may from time to time prescribe.

All officers so detailed shall serve for a period of four years, at the expiration of which time they shall return to duty with

the line, and officers below the rank of lieutenant-colonel shall not again be eligible for selection in any staff department until they shall have served two years with the line.

years.

That when vacancies shall occur in the position of chief of any staff corps or department the President may appoint to such vacancies, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, officers of the Army at large not below the rank of lieutenant-colonel, and who shall hold office for terms of four When a vacancy in the position of chief of any staff corps or department is filled by the appointment of an officer below the rank now provided by law for said office, said chief shall, while so serving, have the same rank, pay, and allowances now provided for the chief of such corps or department. And any officer now holding office in any corps or department who shall hereafter serve as chief of a staff corps or department and shall subsequently be retired, shall be retired with the rank, pay, and allowances authorized by law for the retirement of such corps or department chief: Provided, That so long as there remain in service officers of any staff corps or department holding permanent appointments, the chief of such staff corps or department shall be selected from the officers so remaining therein.

SEC. 27. That each position vacated by officers of the line, transferred to any department of the staff for tours of service under this Act, shall be filled by promotion in the line until the total number detailed equals the number authorized for duty in each staff department. Thereafter vacancies caused by details from the line to the staff shall be filled by officers returning from tours of staff duty. If under the operation of this Act the number of officers returned to any particular arm of the service at any time exceeds the number authorized by law in any grade, promotions to that grade shall cease until the number has been reduced to that authorized.

SEC. 28. That vacancies in the grade of field officers and captain, created by this Act, in the cavalry, artillery, and infantry shall be filled by promotion according to seniority in each branch, respectively. Vacancies existing after the promotions have been made shall be provided for as follows: A sufficient number shall be reserved in the grade of second lieutenant for the next graduating class at the United States Military Academy.

Persons not over forty years of age who shall have at any time served as volunteers subsequent to April twenty-first, eighteen hundred and ninety eight, may be ordered before boards of officers for such examination as may be prescribed

by the Secretary of War, and those who establish their fitness before these examining boards may be appointed to the grades of first or second lieutenant in the Regular Army, taking rank in the respective grades according to seniority as determined by length of prior commissioned service; but no person appointed under the provisions of this section shall be placed above another in the same grade with longer commissioned service, and nothing herein contained shall change the relative rank of officers heretofore commissioned in the Regular Army. Enlisted men of the Regular Army or volunteers may be appointed second lieutenants in the Regular Army to vacancies created by this Act, provided that they shall have served one year, under the same conditions now authorized by law for enlisted men of the Regular Army.

SEC. 29. That to fill vacancies occurring from time to time in the several organizations serving without the limits of the United States with trained men, the President is authorized to enlist recruits in numbers equal to four per centum in excess of the total strength authorized for such organizations.

SEC. 30. That the President is authorized to maintain the enlisted force of the several organizations of the Army at their maximum strength as fixed by this Act during the present exigencies of the service, or until such time as Congress may hereafter otherwise direct: Provided, That in the event of the enlistment of a soldier in the Army for the period required by law, and after the expiration of one year of service, should either of his parents die, leaving the other solely dependent upon the soldier for support, such soldier may, upon his own application, be honorably discharged from the service of the United States upon due proof being made of such condition to the Secretary of War.

SEC. 31. That the Secretary of War is authorized to detach from the Army at large such number of enlisted men as may be necessary to perform duty at the various recruiting stations, and while performing such duty one member of each party shall have the rank, pay, and allowances of sergeant, and one the rank, pay, and allowances of corporal of the arm of the service to which they respectively belong.

SEC. 32. That when the exigencies of the service of any officer who would be entitled to promotion upon examination require him to remain absent from any place where an examining board could be convened, the President is hereby authorized to promote such officer, subject to examination, and the examination shall take place as soon thereafter as practicable. If upon examination the officer be found disqualified for promotion, he

shall, upon the approval of the proceedings by the Secretary of War, be treated in the same manner as if he had been examined prior to promotion.

SEC. 33. The President of the United States is hereby authorized to select from the brigadier-generals of voluteers two volunteer officers, without regard to age, and, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, appoint them brigadiergenerals, United States Army, for the purpose of placing them on the retired list.

And the President is also hereby authorized to select from the retired list of the Army an officer not above the rank of brigadier-general who may have distinguished himself during the war with Spain, in command of a separate army, and to appoint, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, the officer so selected to be major-general, United States Army, with the pay and allowances established by law for officers of that grade on the retired list.

SEC. 34. That all officers who have served during the war with Spain, or since, as officers of the Regular or Volunteer Army of the United States, and have been honorably discharged from the service by resignation or otherwise, shall be entitled to bear the official title and, upon occasions of ceremony, to wear the uniform of the highest grade they have held by brevet or other commission in the regular or volunteer service.

SEC. 35. That the Secretary of War be, and he is hereby, authorized and directed to cause preliminary examinations and surveys to be made for the purpose of selecting four sites with a view to the establishment of permanent camp grounds for instruction of troops of the Regular Army and National Guard, with estimates of the cost of the sites and their equipment with all modern appliances, and for this purpose is authorized to detail such officers of the Army as may be necessary to carry on the preliminary work; and the sum of ten thousand dollars is hereby appropriated for the necessary expense of such work, to be disbursed under the direction of the Secretary of War: Provided, That the Secretary of War shall report to Congress the result of such examination and surveys, and no contract for said sites shall be made nor any obligation incurred until Congress shall approve such selections and appropriate the money therefor.

"SEC. 36. That when in his opinion the conditions in the Philippine Islands justify such action the President is authorized to enlist natives of those islands for service in the Army, to be organized as scouts, with such officers as he shall deem necessary for their proper control, or as troops or companies, as authorized by this Act, for the Regular Army. The Presi