Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1902-10-29

.<tfHMeAt. among naval OlnCeFo 10 Que 70 the
OverWofked condition Of the craft.
HHH A This viii be news indeed to those
LJIJN who have been in The habit OF re-
IL" RardiDg naval officers as gentlemen
~ Of indolent ease who couldn't find
pla enough to do to relieve them Of
ennui. Still theNOpiniOn Of this writer Ia given =
leg to stand upon BY The careful review Of sps and
Oficers made Tor the North American Review by
Lieutenaht Commander Roy O. Smith, who shows q
very unfortunate condition OF affairs In our naval
establlshment.
The number Of men and officers IN the navy is
limited by law. In the last few years the tonnage
OF the navy has been more than trebled, yet the
number of seagoing officers has not been increased
&C ak and that OF the men only to small extent.
The act Of 1899 made some increases in the number
of seagong officers but the vacancies thus created
have never been filled, owing to a lack Of gradu-
ates from the naval academy. cit is" says Com
mander Smith, ''as II line Of merchant ships had
ten vessels in it's service, all suitably manned, and
then gradually increased its feet to thirty vessels
but as each new ship is added its officers and men
were drawn from the older ships, without any in.
crease of the total number How long could this
sort Otthing go ont"
At he last session of congress- it was provided
that tie number of enlisted men and boys be in
creased by 5000, thus bringing the total up to
2S OOO This did not relieve the situation, however
The actual tonnage of our fighting feet on January
l. 1909, was 4S1, ,967 tons. This would give ratio
OF sixty men for each 1000 tons of shipping. But
taking into account the authorized new tonnage,
this same ratio would require force of 1000 men
and boys, instead Of the $4,000 now authorized by
law.
However, the problem of men is not so serious as
the problem Of officers At present there are no
more seagOing officers than there were in the days
Of the old wooden ships. It is estimated by Com
mander Smith that period Oftwelve years is re-
GuiFed to make an efficient lieutenant beginning at
nd tha nd fho
predicament in which the navy now finds itself.
EtIn the report of the bureau Of navigation, Il is
shown that 1,O26 additional line officers will be
needed by the time all the ships now authorized
shall be finished and the estimate is stated TO be at
least 80 per cent smaller than the practice abroad
for ships in commission. AS the navy now consists
Of LOA2 line officers counting the cadets doing sea
duty it means that the number of officers will have
to be doubled in about three years from the date Of
that report, or two years from now. The LOAF Of
oers then the list had been in training anywhere
from four to iOrty-eight years. In the next two
years an equal number must be added to the list to
bring up the total strength to minimum Of eficen.
cyl The problem is an impossible one"
A war within the next decade would mean that
We must draw on the merchant marine or on the en-
listed men Of the navy for officers. It goes without
saying that navigation is a small part OF naval
OfiCef's duties and that the merchant marine
would not offer much Of q field from which to re
cruit our fighters. More promising would be the
ranks Of the enlisted men, though il there is any
thing IN academic training training at a--rh edu-
cation aud scientific knowledge OF the arts Of naval
war are essentials would be poor makeshiit al
best and one which must greatly reduce the hght.
ing efficiency Of our already too small navy.
The only suggestion for relief from this undesiTa
BILE situation which seems feasible is the one made
BY Commander Smith for ga immediate increase in
the number OF naval academy appointments. Il
eonoreea would increase these appointments by
nearly thousand, We would have coming on q crop
OF young officers sufficient to supplement the expe
rienced officers nov composing the line and stan,
and in few years the navy could be brought up tC
the highest standard Of efficiency.