Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-05-12
FEW STICK TO THE SERVICE
Relatively small Proportion of En-
listmcnts choose Navy NJ
Career,

Tho relative iufrequeney OF reenlstment
in tho army and navy has Ions been
sore point with our officers The men as
rulo serve one or possibly two terms
and then drop out into civil lie. marry,
and with what they have learned aud
saved while in Uncle Sans employment set
up as Independent citizens All sorts OF
schemes have been suggested TO encour-
age longer service. and some OF them put
into practice-pensions, higher pay. Inn
proved rations, etc. Up to date however,
! little Impression has been made upon tho
steady outflow from the ranks. and the
average recruit persists I'm his refusal To
consider government service satisfactory
as a permanent career
This tendency makes for mctficiency in
both branches, because it results in a per
sonnet the largest part Of which is COM
posed of first-enlistment mcn-that u.s.
Ereenhorns who are learning the business
/ IL Is more serious for the navy than the
army. the former service recurring a
longer apprenticeship before satsrastC,ry
efficiency is attained. You can bufN a
batteship in two years, but it takes six
! to make seaman gunner says Lord
Charles Beresford. The term OF enlistment
in the American navy is four years
] ~ n ANNtHN paper uN NdDldAn blllllEnanl
in the United States Naval Institute Pro-
ceodings, in which the longer-service prob
/ lem in the navy is discussed, It is shown
that during 1908 more than three quarters
of the enlisted men t29,7S9 out Of a total OF
S9,o4s) we're serving under their first en-
listment. Assuming that half OF this mum
Der had had sufficient training to he partly
efficient the rest constituting something
] Of
were nothing more than students learning
! the business
! At first sight this condition of affairs
seems Of rather serious import But a
further consideration of the real purpose
OF the naval organization Of such a power
as the United States in times of peace puts
a less disquieting complexion on the case.
! II 1t serves as an efficient school for train
ing gunners and engine room machtnists
and the other varieties OF specialists re-
quired in the operation of a modern battle
ship it has served it's chief purpose. II IL
graduates into civil life every year 1000 or
5000 trained men. it is thus maintaining
a large reserve Of available material out
side its payrolls which can be called upon
in the emergency OF war.
There is, In fact, much to be said FROM
an economic point of view against making
military and naval service for the enlisted
man permanent career. II he can be SUI
fciently trained by a single enlistment and
then returned to civil life TO become a pro-
ductive, self-supporting unit, the social re-
suit is manifestly far preferable to that
produced by permanent service conditions
There are. it is true, several rather large
ifs involved in this conclusion. but it GER
tainly deserves consideration in connection
! with Captain Dillingham's proposal to re-
duce the present service pension period so
} as to encourage enlisted men to consider
the navy career. At present a sailor has
to serve thirty years before he is entitled
to pension.-New York Press.