856. Arm racks and iron targets for gallery practice in the hands of troops under orders to change station will be invoiced by organization commanders to post ordnance officer, to be held for the use of incoming organizations. (G. O. 134, W. D., 1908.) 857. When a part of or an accessory to an article constituting a portion of the armament of a district becomes obsolete and is replaced, the obsolete part or accessory will be transferred by the artillery district ordnance officer, with the approval of the artillery district commander, to an arsenal to be designated by the armament officer. (G. O. 62, W. D., 1908, par. IV, sec. 23 (f).) 858. Instructions for marking boxes containing ordnance property. (G. O. 133, W. D., 1904.) 859. All officers who have occasion to turn in ordnance stores to an arsenal or ordnance depot will see that the articles to be turned in are properly named in the invoices and receipts and will give such personal attention to the verification of the quantities as will insure agreement between the invoices and the property shipped. (Cir. 65, W. D., 1908.) 860. Expendable property of the Signal Corps, classification of. (S. C. M. No. 7, par. 335-344.) 861. All pieces of lead pipe cut off from lead-covered cable ends (Signal Corps property) will be saved and taken up as junk, by weight. (S. C. M. No. 7, par. 342.) PUNISHMENTS. 862. Limits of, for enlisted men. (G. O. 96, W. D., 1905.) 863. By company commanders, without trial, for dereliction of duty. (A. R., 961.) QUARTERS. 864. The Secretary of War approves the recommendation of the Major-General Commanding and the Quartermaster-General, that where bachelor officers' quarters are provided at a military post, it is proper and necessary that they be assigned to officers without families. (Cir. 4, A. G. O., 1897.) 865. Quarters for contract surgeons and dental surgeons should be assigned by the post commander, and they should be equal to those of a first lieutenant. Contract surgeons and dental surgeons are not entitled to select quarters, having no rank and not being officers. (Cir. 32, W. D., 1905.) 866. Allowance of rooms for officers serving at posts and stations. (Act March 2, 1907; G. O. 48, W. D., 1907, p. 19.) 867. Permanent heavy furniture for officers' quarters at military posts. (Act March 2, 1907; G. O. 48, W. D., 1907, p. 18; A. R., 1029.) 868. Assignment of, to noncommissioned staff officers. (Cir. 18, W. D., 1905.) RAILROADS. 869. List of land-grant and bond-aided. (W. D., G. O. 41, 1907; 97, 1908.). RATIONS. 870. All articles of the garrison, travel, or Filipino ration due to a company, bakery, or other military organization, and not needed for consumption, will be retained for reissue by the commissary and will be paid for by him as savings at the current prices of the component articles of the ration and not in any instance at prices of substitutive articles, the use of the latter being limited to issue in kind where economy and a due regard to the health and comfort of the troops may so require. No savings will be allowed to troops on United States Army transports. The making of savings with a view to purchasing elsewhere any article of the ration carried in the commissary is strictly prohibited. (A. R., 1238.) 871. "One of the main objects of paragraph 1246, A. R., 1904, as amended by G. O. 128, W. D., June 10, 1907, was to do away with the system of bartering and selling rations, no matter under what guise." (Indorsement of Commissary-General, August 10, 1907, approved by the Acting Scy. War August 13, 1907; 11906, I. G. O.) NOTE.-A. R., 1246, 1904, is continued as A. R., 1238, 1908. See paragraph 870, ante. 872. Fresh meat is not considered "an article of the ration carried in the commissary," and, therefore, does not come under the prohibition contained in last sentence of A. R., 1246. (Memo. Asst. to Chief of Staff, approved by Acting Sey. War. April 9, 1908; 12305, I. G. O.) NOTE.-A. R., 1246, 1904, is continued as A. R., 1238, 1908. See paragraph 870, ante. $73. The question as to whether or not, under A. R., 1246, as amended by G. O. 47, W. D., 1908, savings can be made on substitutive articles of the ration, having been submitted, the War Department has decided that there is no authority, constructively or otherwise, for the making of savings on substitutive articles; they can only be issued in kind in lieu of components, and in such quantities as may be warranted by economy and proper consideration for the health and comfort of the troops. (Cir. 19, Dept. Tex., 1908.) NOTE.-A. R., 1246, 1904, as amended, is same as A. R., 1238, 1908. See paragraph 870, ante. 874. A commissary refused to allow savings on the sugar component of the rations due a company, it being desired to dispose of the stock on hand of a certain grade of issue sugar by having the organizations at the post draw all the issue sugar due them on ration returns. The War Department held that savings should have been allowed. (Scy. War, Feb. 19, 1908; 12235, I. G. O.) 875. The payment of commutation in lieu of rations to enlisted patients in hospital and members of the Nurse Corps on duty therein, ás provided by Army Regulations, is not mandatory, the Secretary of War having discretion to issue rations in kind in cases where he deems it advisable. (M. S. D., 171.) Also see A. R., 325, 1229. 876. Emergency rations: When to be used; lost or improperly opened; responsibility of company and detachment commanders. (A. R., 1220, sec. 6, amended by G. O. 139, W. D., 1908.) 877. Haversack rations: One day in each alternate month of the season of practical instruction, not exceeding three days in each year, the use of the haversack ration with individual cooking will be required by all troops in the field for purposes of instruction. (A. R., 1220, sec. 6, amended by G. O. 139, W. D., 1908.) 878. Supply of rations to be carried on trans-Pacific transports. (T. R. 170, 171.) RECORDS AND CORRESPONDENCE. 879. The record-card system prescribed by paragraph V, War Department Orders, May 15, 1894, is authorized for general use at division and department headquarters. (Par. 2, G. O. 109, W. D., 1906.) 880. Paragraph V, War Department Orders, May 15, 1894, is as follows: V.-Record of correspondence. (1) There shall be three files for the purpose of containing the records of the correspondence of each Bureau, as follows: (a) "Record Card File," which shall contain in ink in respect to each case an abstract of the communication and a record of all office action taken upon it, including the memoranda and reports of searchers, examiners, reviewers, and all others through whose hands the case may pass. There will also be included a draft or literal copy of all important communications of the Bureau relative to the case, but an unimportant communication or routine letter or indorsement may be recorded by synopsis only. The record cards shall be numbered from one forward continuously, and shall be filed in numerical order. When the space on any one record card is insufficient to contain the entries pertaining to the case which the card represents, one or more slips of the same size as that of the record card will be attached to it. (b) A "Card Index File," which shall contain a card bearing the name of the writer of each communication received, and one or more (cross reference) cards referring to the persons or subject-matter therein mentioned. The index cards will bear numbers corresponding to those of the record cards, but will be filed in alphabetical order. Where many communications are received daily from the same official of the Government, the name of the writer need not be indexed, if it is found that the index of the subject of. such communications answers all practical purposes. (c) A "Document File," which will also be numbered con secutively, and with numbers corresponding to those of the record cards and index cards, in which will be filed the original documents or communications in each case, together with press copies of any letters of the Bureau relating to the same. If the original communication shall not be retained in the office, the record card must show that fact. The papers pertaining to any case in this file will be contained in an envelope if practicable. (d) The record cards and index cards used in the files above mentioned, shall be of the uniform size of 8 inches long by 34 inches wide, and shall be written across the width. (2) Precedent File. The record cards in each case, after the same shall have been disposed of, shall be referred to a clerk who shall prepare therefrom "precedent cards," showing the nature of the case and the action taken thereon, providing his "precedent file" contains no card showing similar action. (3) The method of recording the action taken upon each item of business, in respect to which a record is necessary, shall be as follows: (a) The mail clerk, upon receiving the mail, shall place with each new communication of sufficient importance to be recorded, a blank record card and a blank index card. (b) The case thus prepared shall be passed to the briefing clerks, one of whom shall immediately brief the communication, if not already briefed, and shall enter upon the record and index cards the name of the writer and a brief synopsis of the communication. (c) The briefer shall also prepare such additional index and cross-reference cards as may be necessary to index the communication thoroughly. (d) As soon as briefed the case shall be passed to the numbering clerk by whom the original communication, all its inclosures, and the record card and index and cross-reference cards shall be stamped with the same number and date of receipt and the name of the office. (e) The numbering clerk shall withdraw the index and crossreference cards, leaving the record cards with the cases. The cross-reference cards will be immediately placed on the alphabetical index file, but the index cards will be arranged in numerical order and retained on the desk of the tally clerk until the case represented by them shall have been disposed of. (f) The case, including the record card, which must invariably accompany it until it is disposed of, will next be passed to the clerk in charge of the index file, who will search the same for previous action. (g) If the index file discloses that any previous action has been taken, the corresponding record card or cards will be taken from the record-card file and placed with the case. If but one old record is found the old and the new card will be connected by writing the number of each upon the other. If more than one old record card is found, the oldest and the new card will be thus connected. A temporary "charge card" will be substituted for each record card thus taken from the file, and will be allowed to remain therein until the record card shall have been returned. |