The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1905-05-16
NEED OF MEN IN THE
UNITED STATES NAVY.
New Orleans States.

At the present time 5000 more men
are required for the enlisted force OF
the navy and in order to get them re-
cruiting officers are TO be sent through
the West, which is regarded as a
promising field TO secure the material
needed by suggesting to young men
the opportunity they have in the navy
to see the world. But even with this
alluring prospect the recruiting off,
GERS have found 1t difficult to inauce
Een of the right quality to enlist. 1t
is safe to say that the stories recently
circulated regarding the wholesale de-
sertions from the navy and the diseon-
tent shown by the sailors on many of
cur warships will not be of any as
sistance to the officers whose duty II
Is to secure recruits.
Men must be able 10 read and write
to enlist, and those who see the news
papers presumably have read OF the
trouble already experienced In keep
ing ships crew intact It Is all very
well for Rear Admiral Evans to say In
regard to the Galveston affair: THE
enlisted man would not be content un-
less he had something to growi about.
but that kind of argument viii not
make the task of the recruiting officer
any easier. Rear Admiral Converse
has suggested plan of having vessels
assigned to certain home ports, going
there twice a year so that crews can
have their families live at such cities
and be sure of seeing them at least
every six months. That might do for
the officers, but how much of a family
can an enlisted man serving as sea-
man in the navy afford to support at
such cities as Boston and New York
First class seamen draw $2SS a year.
second class seamen 1928 a year, third
class seamen or iandsmen 1892 year.
Supposing a man is recruited as a
landsman, his wife and family, if he
had one, would be obliged TO support
themselves on considerable less than
Mr.. Edward Atkinson's STANDARD.
AS long as the country is prosperous
and employment at good wages easy
/ 10 secure service in the navy is not
likely to prove attractive to ambitious
young Americans, hence the argument
of the opportunity to see the world will
not prove to be particularly success
ful. The men may be haunted by the
fear that their view Of the highly at
tractive places Of Europe may be re-
stricted to long distance look from
the spar deck or through a port hole.
However. men for the navy are need
ed, and some way has to be founG 10
get them, but from all accounts the
task is beginning to prove one of in
creasing difficulty. In time of war
there Is no trouble in getting more
men than are wanted. but It seems
that in the piping times of peace de-
sirable young Americans do not care
to be tied up in armor clad ships and
shorn of all liberty of action save the
occasional short shore leaves that are
granted to the well behaved. But II
the country is to have an efficient
navy it must have trained MEN. ana, in
the event of war there would be a
dearth of such material which could
not be supplied by the patriotic youths
who would then be willing to be enlist.
ed In view of the fact that our navy
is growing fast it is quite easy to un,
derstand that the manning of the new
ships is becoming quite serious prob
lem.