GENERAL ORDERS, WAR DEPARTMENT, WASHINGTON, September 8, 1911. 1. Any breakdowns that develop in fire-control installations after the installations have been turned over to the Coast Artillery Corps will be investigated carefully by the officers accountable for the property affected. If after investigation it is found that the repairs can be made by the means at hand, such repairs will be made by the personnel of the Coast Artillery Corps. If additional material is required for the repairs, requisition therefor will be submitted to the proper supply department and on receipt thereof the repairs will be made by the personnel of the Coast Artillery Corps. In any case where the repairs can not be made as indicated above, the defects will be reported to the proper supply department. Previous instructions given in general orders and descriptive pamphlets in reference to instruments furnished by the Ordnance Department remain in force. 2. Requisitions for Signal Corps property for the maintenance of fire-control equipment at coast artillery posts will be prepared for each post and submitted by the district artillery engineer on Form 63, on March 31, June 30, September 30, and December 31 of each year, to the district commander, who will forward such requisitions with his recommendations to the chief signal officer of the division. GENERAL ORDERS, No. 125. WAR DEPARTMENT, WASHINGTON, September 11, 1911. I..In the first line of the 13th Article of War, page 282, Army Regulations, the word "soldier," being a typographical error, is corrected to read "officer." [1819576, A. G. O.] II. Paragraphs 722, 728, and 732, Army Regulations, are amended to read as follows: 722. The surveying officer will be designated by the commanding officer of the regiment, separate battalion, post, or station. Such officer may, however, be appointed by the commanding officer of a territorial division, an army corps, division, or brigade. If none but the commanding officer and interested officers be present for duty, then the commanding officer will survey the property. When only the responsible or interested officer is present, he will not appoint himself surveying officer, but will furnish the next higher administrative commander his certificate of facts and circumstances, supported by the sworn testimony of witnesses, or by the affidavits of enlisted men or others who are cognizant thereof. Should the case thus presented not be considered satisfactory, or in a case in which only interested officers with opposing interests are present for duty at the post or station, the next higher administrative commander may make the necessary investigation. In cases where the property in question has been previously acted upon, the officer making the investigation will be so informed and the previous reports will be considered. [1811106, A. G. O.] 728. On the approved recommendation of a surveying officer the following classes of property may be destroyed: (1) Clothing infected with contagious disease; (2) stores that have become so deteriorated as to endanger health or injure other stores, and (3) unserviceable property of no salable value submitted to a surveying officer under the provisions of paragraph 689. The decision of the commanding officer will be final as to whether such property has salable value. This paragraph will, in its application to ordnance stores under (3), be limited to utterly worthless articles constituting 2 the soldier's personal equipments (not arms), horse equipments, and target materials and supplies, the cost price of which does not exceed $100 for mounted organizations and $50 for all other cases. In each case the report will give the dates of receipt of the stores surveyed. Before ordering the destruction of property or stores under the provisions of this paragraph the commanding officer will personally inspect the same and will be held responsible that the conditions justify the action. In case the invoice value of the stores involved exceeds $500, the approval of the next higher administrative commander will be obtained before destruction of the property, as provided in paragraph 730. A certificate of the witnessing officer that the property has been destroyed as authorized will be appended to the report. [1811106, A. G. O.] 732. When the approved report of a surveying officer holds a common carrier, or a person not in the military service of the United States, responsible for the loss of or damage to public property or stores, steps will at once be taken to make collection from the party so held responsible. Public property that has been in transit will be carefully checked upon arrival at its destination by the receiving quartermaster with the bill of lading or manifest in order to ascertain whether the carrier has fully carried out all obligations imposed upon him. Should any discrepancy, loss, or damage be found, the receiving quartermaster will at once make application for a surveying officer by whom the facts will be fully investigated (unless the carrier voluntarily assumes liability for the loss) and the money value of the damage or deficiency will be charged to the party responsible therefor, whether it be the invoicing officer or the carrier. The property will be delivered by the receiving quartermaster to the officer to whom it is invoiced or to other proper consignee with a statement of the deficiency or damage and that action by a surveying officer has been requested. Upon approval, the authority that approves the reports of the surveying officer will transmit 1 copy to the receiving quartermaster, 1 copy to the officer to whom the property is invoiced, and 1 copy to division headquarters. In case the report of the surveying officer finds the invoicing officer responsible, 1 copy of the report will be sent to the |