The Portland daily press., 1895-08-12
The Texas and Maine Will Not
Join Squadron.
GOVERNMENT CANNOT SECURE
MEN TO MAN NEW VESSELS.
Summer Season Makes 1t Hard to Secure
Machinists and Engineers-How the
Service Compares With the Army.

Washington, Aug. 1.-THE Navy De
partment is finding considerable Difficult
ty in enlisting men to fill vacancies and
man the new ships soon to be ready to go
into commission. 1t is authoritatiyely
stated that neither the second class bat
Maine will be enabled to participate in
the drill off Newport Aside from the
delay in procuring the crews for the two
ships there are other embarrassments
which render it impossible for even the
Texas, which is in the most advanced
condition to be in commission for several
weeks The. navy officials say it is with
difficulty that the enlistment of seamen,
machinists and others were made during
the summer season. At this period the
men who combinessthe knowledge of such
matters, can always find more remunera
tive employment on private yachts and
along the shore, where freedom 1s..enjoyed
and where the duty is not so exacting as
it is in the navy. Business conditions
which are more satisfactory. than for
several years, make.it possible toiprocure
work that is more satisfactory to them
than serving the.government. Late in the
autumn when scores of private yachts
are laid up in ordinary, the men engaged
upon them will seek other employment.
Then vacancies in the ranks Of enlisted
men will be rapidly filled. Never before
has the Navy Department been SO jealous
of the high character, intelligence and the
physical condition of the men it is taking
into the service. 1t is asserted that nine
ty per cent of the applicants are rejected
| and while more or less latitude is given
| the recruiting officers the rules of the de-
partment require that no seaman, ma
| chinist OF fireman. be enlisted who has
passed the age of 30, except he be man
| who has previously served in the navy
| The United States government pays en-
| listed men better than any other nation
and the rate of pay generally is far in ad-
vance of that which is given to priyates
| and non-commissioned officers in the ar
my, but the service is more exacting and
from many points of view it is not desir-
able. 1t is said the department. finds great
difficulty in inducing the younger men to
re-nlist after one or two services, as after
experience of this character the men as a
rule desire to marry and seek employment
on shore The hope of the navy rests on
on the apprentice system established
many years ago. An average of $50 boys
enlist each year for a term of service of
four years To each an excellent educat-
ion is given, in addition to a thorough
knowledge Of gunnery, wide familiarity
with torpedo works and electrical engin-
eering and an effort is made to add to the
technical training of a fondness for naval
life and respect for the service. Never
theless four-ffths of the boys withdraw
from the service upon graduation and be-
| fore the department. has had an opportun-
| ity of utilizing them in the work of
| which they have been trained. The rea-
son of this is that the yOun0 men find
ready employment in the merchant SER
vice, or in the employment of electrical,
| telegraph and telephone companies Eat a
| better Compensation than is suffered by
the government. Those who rema in in
| tn governments service are advanced as
rapidly as circumstances will permit.
THE WEATHER.