In addition to the routine work of the offices, as shown by the foregoing tables, vario's papers and communications have been referred to these offices for legal opinion.

All of which is respectfully submitted.

JNO. A. HULL,

Major and Judge Advocate, U. S. V.,
Asst. Judge Advocate,

Division of the Philippines.

I have the honor to submit the following narrative report upon the work of the Quartermaster's Department in the Philippine Islands during the past fiscal year. For detailed information attention is invited to enclosures. In this report I must confine myself to the time from August 31, 1899, to June 30, 1900, the period during which I had charge of

the office.

The Army, on August 31, 1899, had possession of the country in the vicinity of Manila. On the railroad north to Angeles, with the railroad repaired and in use to San Fernando. On Laguna de Bay, to Calamba and from Bacoor to Imus. In the Southern Islands there were garrisons at Iloilo, Cebu, Jolo and small garrisons on some of the small islands in the vicinity of Jolo.

Transportation was greatly deficient for rapid movements and the deficiency had to be made up from carabaos. When the rainy season was nearly over and active movements commenced in the field some additional transportation had been received from the United States, and by concentrating all that

there was with the moving columns, and hiring a large number of carabao carts, and, in addition, giving to each company some coolies, the movements were successfully made. Even with these expedients the troops at the front would have suffered for supplies if there had not been quantities of rice in the country over which the movements were made-the unhulled rice and rice straw for the animals and the hulled rice for the men.

The rapid advance of the Army, the establishment of new posts for the garrisons necessary to hold the sections garrisoned and the supply of these posts, has made the work of the supply department, with the limited means at hand, one of great difficulty. This can be better understood when it is considered that this expansion has been from a few posts near the basis of supply to over three hundred and fifty, many of them situated at remote and almost inaccessible points. The establishment of sub-depots for the different districts and regularly guarded trains of supplies from the sub-depots to the outlying posts have been a necessity.

A large number of mules, wagons and cavalry horses have been shipped in from the United States, all that have been asked for in fact, until now the command is fairly well supplied with transportation and cavalry horses. More will be required from time to time, to meet losses and supply additional posts, as they are necessarily established.

The work here of the department has been most interesting and instructive-certainly it has been devoid of all sameness, and I trust its management by the officers of the department has been satisfactory to those under whom they have served. Much of the work has been done by quartermasters of the volunteers, some with more or less experience during the Spanish War, and, with rare exceptions, they have rendered fine service. Two are now chief quartermasters of departments, many others chief quartermasters of districts. One is assistant in the office of the chief quartermaster of the Division. That they are satisfactorily filling these places

proves their value. Upon the regular officers of the department has fallen the important duties of chief quartermasters of the largest departments, depot quartermaster at Manila, officer in charge of water transportation, etc., where experience and knowledge of the general work of the department is necessary.

The depot at Manila has grown to meet the demands for the supply of over sixty thousand men. When it is considered that all of the supplies for this large force have to pass through this depot and that all of the vessels bringing supplies here have to anchor two miles or more from the depot and that at times as many as nineteen million pounds have been unloaded in two weeks, a million pounds a day a fair average, it will be appreciated what the work is. It requires a large force of men and a large number of steam launches and lighters to do the work, supplemented by cascos and lorchas. It is necessary for the government to own its launches and lighters, and, as rapidly as possible, they have been purchased and the number of hired cascos and lorchas correspondingly reduced.

It has been found practically impossible to prevent stealing during the transfer of stores to the storehouses, particularly when night work was necessary; but, by adding to the number of checkers and by many other means, the stealing has been reduced to a minimum.

The system adopted now by Major General MacArthur of organizing depots of supplies for the Departments of Northern and Southern Luzon, to which all supplies will be issued in bulk from the main depot, and to which all requisitions will be sent for supply, after approval at the headquarters of the departments, will relieve, to some extent, the excessive work at the central depot and result in more prompt supply to the troops of the stores required.

There are matters here peculiar to the islands, such as means taken to supplement the deficient amount of transportation for the first year of the war, that are of interest and from the results of which much may be learned.