Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-11-13
NATIONAL NAVAL RESERVE
The Leading Feature Of Assistant Secretary
Aliens Report.
Cruise of the District Organization
and the Showing Made-Coast
Signal System.

The leading feature of the annual report
of Assistant Secretary Allen to Secretary
Long relative to the naval militia is his
strong Endorsement of the plan for the or
gdniZation of a national naval reserve He
points out that the experience of the past
year has suggested certain changes in the
original plan for this organization as con-
tanned in the bill which was submitted to
the last session of Congress, and he there
fore urges that it be again pushed with the
amendments prepared by Lieut.. COM
mander w. II. II. Switzerland. who was,
for part of the year in direct charge of
the naval militia bureau Of the Navy De-
partment. In substance, that officer saws
that as the personnel act has made the
term of service of enlisted men in the navy
four years, the same period should be fixed
for the enrolment in the Naval Reserve
Some provision should also be made by
which the Naval Reserve officer should be
pre- NOTED in war time with the regular Off
Ger with whom he holds the same date of
commission.
During the past year the legislature of
Maine passed an act for the esta blishment
of a naval militia did the state of Min
nesota.
The department undertook to afford the
naval militia of every state an opportunity
to drill al sea under service conditions and
the offer was accepted by the governors of
all but one of the states having militia
/
the result of the cruises in each case. set
ting out the reports of the naval officers
who acted inspectors and noting their
criticisms without reserve.
The District Naval Reserve.
In regard to the Naval Battalion of the
District the report says:
Ten officers, forty-one petty officers and
III enlisted men took advantage of the de-
partments offer of an eight-day cruise on
the Prairie. OF the enlisted force, thirteen
petty officers and nineteen enlisted men had
seen previous service at sea.
The naval militia of the District of CO.
lumbia, organized pursuant to the act of
Congress approved May II, 1899 has thus
far seen no service as an organization
other than in breaking open and clearing
the channel in the Potomac river with the
l. S. S. Fern during the blizzard of Febru-
airy, 1899. This service was rendered at the
request of the Commissioners of the Dis
trtct.
On the 9th day of April, 1899, it was. by
the direction of the President, ordered to
participate In the funeral ceremonies at
tending the burial at Arlington of certain
of the officers and men who lost their lives
in Cuba and Porto Rico during the recent
war.
The report of the board of officers also
states: % That the professional ability OF
the enlisted force is fair, 90 that the gen.
era1 physique is very good, go that the dis
cipiine Is poor, 90 that the marks assigned
10 the various drills are: tA) Signals, fair;
(B) pistols, fair co infantry tactics, poor;
CD sword exercise, 9; GE) setting-up ex-
ercise, good; Cd great gun, fair; GO navi-
cation, fair.
Coast Signal System.
1t Is recommended that steps be taken for
the organization Of a permanent coast sig
nal system from the retired list of the navy
and the employees of the lighthouse and
life-saving service. There are several thous-
and Of these men, and with a small appro-
priation and an annual drill for a few days
each year they would be competent to take
up their duties Immediately upon the out
break of war, With a retired naval officer
In charge Of each lighthouse district, and
an officer In charge at the Navy Depart
ment, and the necessary paraphernalia at
the nearest navy yard ready for use, this
necessary adjunct of war could be put in
working order IN twenty-four hours.