The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1895-07-02
U, S. NAVAL FORCE INCREASE.
One Thousand Men to Be Enlisted
After July 1st.
They VIII not All Be Taken at once,
But in Lots
Needed.

Preparations are now being
made at the Navy Department for
the enlistment of 1000 additional
men for the navy, in accordance
with the provisions of the naval
appropriation bill, which goes into
effect on the 1st instant. This
increase in the sea force is made
necessary by the completion of
new warships, some of which are
now ready to go into commission
and the remainder of which Will be
turned over to the government
during the next fiscal year.
1t is becoming each day a more
serious problem for the Navy De-
partmeRt to man our new ships
with the small number of sailors
allowed by law. In recent years
there have been constant additions
to the ships of the new navy, but
Congress has not seen fit to in
crease in like proportion the
number Of sailors allowed to
man them. The modern ship
with its complex machin-
cry and great size, requires
more men than the small sailing
steamers Of the war period, yet
with all the liberality which Con-
gress has shown in appropriating
money for the construction of new
ships it has failed to grasp the inn
portance of giving them effective
crews. Last year Secretary Her
bert appealed to the Legislative
branch of the government to au-
thorize the enlargement of the en-
listed men by 1000, pointing to the
number of new ships that will be
completed and turned over to the
navy in the course of year or
two as the basis of his application.
The appropriation committees,
however, saw fit to cut this number
down to 1000 men. The enlist
ments will include landsmen, fire.
men and seameu. The landsmen
will be enlisted at New York and
the others at Boston, Philadelphia
and San Francisco.
Great care will be exercised in
the elistment, in order to secure
the best available material. The
number Of applications already
made to the Navy Department shows
that there will be no excuse for
leniency in this respect. 1t will
be the policy of the department to
reject ali candidates who are not
physically sound or who shows
symptoms that are likely to
develop into early disability, en-
titlipg the unfortunate possessor to
retirement or a pension. 1t is not
proposed to increase the govern
ment pension list by the admission
into the navy Of persons who do
not give physical evidence Of their
ability to serve out their terms
under ordinary conditions.
The whole 1000 men will not be
enlisted at once, but only in lots
sufficient to meet the demands of
the service. Crews will first be
needed for the battleships Maine
and Texas. The Maine is at New
York and the Texas at Norfolk.
They are now practically ready for
sea, but probably will not be put in
commission before the 1st of
August. The torpedo boat Ericsson,
in case she makes a successful trial
trip, will also be put in commission
in a few months. Another vessel re-
curing crew is the old frigate Ian
caster, now being fitted out at New
York as a practice gunnery ship.
Nearly all the vessels of the navy
are short of their complement, and
the authorized increase will not
much more than meet existing
needs. A still further increase will
be necessary in order to man the big
battleships Iowa, Indiana, Massa-
chusetts and Oregon, now approach
ing completion, and that fact will be
brought to the attention of Congress
at its next Washington
Star.