The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-12-09
NAVAL RESERVE.
Sec. Long Sends to Con
gress a Draft of a Bill.

Washington, Dec. S--Secretary Long
has forwarded to the chairman of The
naval committees of the House and
Senate draft of bill ito provide for
| the enrolment and organization of the
United States naval reserve" "The
Importance of creating a national ma
val reserve" says the secretary in his
letter accompanying the bill, consist
ing of a body Of men having acquain-
lance with the peculiar requirements
of modern seagoing vessels, familiarity
with the general conditions under
which naval service is rendered, and
Of being promptly modified upon
call of the president, is I'M
questionable, and the purpose
of the measure outlined in the in
closed draft is to provide for the or
ganization of such a naval reserve
force"
The bill consists Of 10 sections. The
first is in effect as follows: From and
after July l, 1899, all officers, petty Off
GERS and enlisted men of the naval
militia who served during the war with
Spain; all officers appointed from civil
life under the provisions of the act ap-
proved May 4, 1898, for service during
the continuance of the war with Spain.
and men who enlisted in the navy for
not less than one year, and served dur
ing said war, and all graduates of the
United States Naval Academy who
have honorably left the naval service,
may be enrolled under the direction of
the president in the. United States ma
al reserve, in the grades and rates held
by them when honorably discharged,
or when they resigned from or were
mustered out Of the naval service; and
any such person who has so served
as a warrant officer, mate or chief pet
ty officer may, if he so elect, be eX-
amined for appointment to the grade
of ensign, and any such petty officer
or enlisted man may, if he so elect,
be examined for the next higher rat
ing. A provision is inserted that such
naval militia or volunteer officers must
have passed a professional eXamiua-
ton before they were commissioned for
service during the continuance of the
Spanish war.
Section says: The senior line Off
GERS commissioned shall at once as
sumo charge of the entire reserve force
so enrolled in said state and organize
1t as one or more ships companies, af-
ter such manner as may be directed
by the secretary of the navy: and
opened in each state for all able-bod-
led men between is and So who have
served as officers or enlisted men Of
the navy or marine corps, or as mem
berS of the naval militia organizations
and called into service during the war,
or as officers of the revenue, marine,
lighthouse, life-Saving or coast survey
services, or graduates Of nautical
scholarships, and all persons holding
certificates as masters, mates, chief
engineers, assistant engineers and pi-
lots, and other officers and men serv-
ing in the merchant marine. the own
ers, officers and crews of yachts en-
rolled in regularly incorporated yacht
clubs, and all other persons whose &C.
cupation is on the high seas or other
navigable waters. But the enrolment
is limited to persons who are by birth
or naturalization citizens of the United
States.
Section 4 provides that the grades
and ratings in the naval reserve shall
correspond with those existing in the
navy and that the term of enlistment
for petty officers shall be for I've
years
Section 10 provides that any gradu-
ate of the academy, of over so years.
who has honorably left the naval SER
vice, and any member of the naval re-
serve, upon reaching the age of 30 years
or after five years continuous service
may at his own request be enrolled in
the second naval reserve. An appro-
priation of 100000 is made for the ex-
penses incident to the enrolment tram
ing and inStructing of the reserves