Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-03-13
Sale of Obsolete WarSh1ps.

Secretary Meyer advocates the sale OF
many of the old cruisers and naVa'
yachts in order that the money re-
quired for their maintenance may DE
utilized in the repair and upkeep OF
newer and more serviceable vessels. The
cruiser Detroit is mentioned as one OF
the vessels that could be disposed OF
to the profit of the navy. She has been
out Of commission for several years be-
cause she is too expensive to run. AT
tho instance of the Secretary of the
Navy the general board is preparing
a list of vessels that have outliyed their
usefulness for naval purposes. Legis-
Iation will be necessary for the sale OF
any of these vessels.
Il believe" said Secretary Meyer to
the House naval committee a few days
ago. 1T would be a great saving of
money if Congress would authorize the
sale of a great many of our smaller
vessels-cruisers. yachts. etc mo
that the expenditure of the appropria-
ton for repairs which was mace 'ast
wear shows that a very small proper
ton went for battleships and frst-class
cruisers, and that an enormous pro-
portion went for tugs, yachts ana cruiS-
ers 1t seems to me that 1t would De
wise for the department to have a sale
q
wears ago. when she courageously con-
demned lot of vessels and sold them.
1t is like man who goes into MS
park and has the courage to cut down
good many inferior trees IN order
that the better ones may develop. be
fino specimens. and not a drain on the
resources of the soil. We must snow
some courage in approaching this ques-
ton and condemn lot of liH-rah yes
sells on which we are lavishing money
needlessIy as we'll as extravagantly.
Encouraging Continuous Service.
The naval authorities are again Civ
ing their attention to the question of
increasing the percentage of long serv
ice men in the enlisted force The
small proportion of those who re-en-
list Is such as to cause much apprehen-
sion Under existing conditions the
navy has simply become huge train
ing school. The enlisted personnel OF
every ship is made up of men of little
experience. the great majority of whom
are in their first term of enlistment.
An enlisted man must serve thirty
wears in order to be retired. There
are numerous cases where men wish
to re-enlist, but they cannot be ac-
cepted on account of a defect which is
not attributable to service, and &C
cordingly fails to obtain for them a
pension. It has been suggested that a
system of graduated retirement would
be of advantage in this particular.
Men could be transferred to the re-
tired list, after certain periods OF serv-
ice at various percentages of active
pay In that way there would be an
inducement to serve the full period,
for if something occurred by which re-
tirement would be necessary before the
thirty years had expired the man
would, not be put out of service with
little or no chance to make living.
Those who are interested in the well
fare of the navy cannot escape the
conviction that this question of doing
SOM. .ng to induce continuous serv-
ice is quite as important in its way as
the provision for new battleships.
Efficiency of Artillerists.
1t will be bold enemy who will
bring his warship in time of war with
in the marine league of our coasts, if
the coast artillery continues to i'm
prove the big-gun shooting as it did
last year. Gen. Murray, chief of the
Coast Artillery Corps. has just re-
ceived all the reports of the target
practice made 1by the forts which pro-
tect our harborS They show a re-
markahle increase in the percentage of
hits compared with the preceding year
The fve-inch guns almost doubled
their efficiency. with a reported in
crease Of hits of 44.6. Even the big
twelye-inch guns showed an increased