The Savannah morning news., 1902-10-11

| In his speech IN chicago on Thurs
day night Mr.. Moody, the Secretary
Of the Navy brought forcibly to the
attention Of the country the needs of
| the navy in the matter of officers and
| men. Patriotic American citizens. ever
| since the Spanish American war, have
been congratulating themselves on the
| nations magnificent navy. The navy
! did such splendid service in that war
| that about every citizen regards it as
| invincibIe Congress is applauded
whenever it makes appropriations for
! additional battleships and cruisers, and
| the launching of every new ship is the
| occasion of reioicings.
| The country has every reason to be
proud of its navy-of its battleships,
| cruisers. officers and men, but the navy
is weak in one important respect. 1t is
| lacking in both officers and men. In
his speech Secretary Moody made it
clear that Congress, at its next session.
would have to do something to increase
| the number of officers and encourage
| enlistments. There is no use building
additional battleships and cruisers if
there are no officers and men to man
them.
The Secretary said that on Jan. last
there was absolute need for 1881 Off
| GERS and that the total number was
only 1.023. including midshipmen, a
shortage of 6OS This shortage will be
still further increased during the next
four years, when the ships under con-
struction and authorized are COM
pleted.
The new ships will require 49s off,
GERS TO handle them properly, but the
fact must be taken into account that
there is all the time a number of Off
GERS who have to be assigned to shore
duty, and also that there is always
percentage on the sick list Therefore.
to produce 49S officers fit for sea duty
it will require 623 officers.
There is another thing that must be
taken into consideration IT is that in
the next four years there are sure to
| be vacancies due to deaths, resigna
tons and retirements on account of the
age limit These vacancies, it is est-
a
ships, therefore, which will be complet-
ed within the next four years at least
1888 officers will have to be provided.
There is now a shortage of COZ officers,
making 1890 more than we have to-
day that win be needed to meet the
requirements of the navy. Where is so
large a number to come from? Only
about $50 can be expected in that Pc
riod from the Naval Academy. 1t is
apparent, therefore, that in four years,
at least 1000 more officers will be want
ed than the government will have at
taken for increasing the number of
midshipmen at the Naval Academy or
the opening of some other door to the
youth of the land who are anxious to
become naval officers.
. And the difficulty of getting men to
navy seems to be fully as great as IL
is to get officers. The percentage of
the men who do not re-enlist when
their terms expire is very large, and
the enlistments are far from satisfac-
tory. The reason is said to be that life
on board of modern warship is very
hard--very much harder than 1T was
on the old sailing ships of the navy
Besides. very little liberty is allowed
the men, and that is not satisfactory
to them. We have the ships, but we
haven't the necessary officers and men.
How are they to be obtained? That
is question for Congress to determine,
and a very important question it is.
Doubtless, a solution of it will be
found, but will 1t be a solution that will
be satisfactory to officers who are
graduates from the nations naval
school2