Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1914-07-08
UNITED STATES Navy
IS NOT ONLY DRY one
Russia and Japan Had Barred
Drink Before Daniels Act
ed-Britain Is Next.

HOW many teetotal navies are there
IN the world-navies from which the
"grog-tub" has been banished. and the
oIficers' wine bill. too? asks the London
Daily Graphic.
not one person in 100 knows
tne correct answer to this little ques-
tlon. which is made interesting by the
recent announcement that all United
states ~blueJackets and naval officers
are ~henceforth to be total abstainers.
~ the United States navy be included,
the actual number of teetotal navies in
the world Is three; the other two are
the fleets of Russia and Japan.
And IN a few years time the British
nav may make the fourth. Any Eng
nshman who hazard such a prophecy
81 years g would have been asking
lot trouble. but the immense progress
wardroom and between decks during
the last decade. has made the prospect
OF a blue ribbon" British navy any
thing but an impossibility. Indeed,
there are already two "abolitionist''
shlps under the white ensign; neither
the Ntobe nor the Rainbow, which have
peen lent to Canada. could muster q tot
of rum between them.
me modern tendency was strikingly
indicated only last year by the first lord
o the admiralty himself. When the
t~eetotallers in the navy had at last
eo"" ~ respectable percentage OF
every ships company, the abstainer
was not required to draw his tot. and
opposite his name was placed the letter
-. a year Mr.. Churchill reversed
the plan. and threw the, onus of draw
ing the grog upon the man who wanted
~, ~ was ne who was made con-
spicuous by the addition Of the letter
g to his name. and not the abstainer,
who was i~nferentially regarded as the
normal member of the ships
IN lieu OF the gro each abstainer
crews 9-16 Of a penny per day, and ef-
1orts are being made by highly placed
OFFICERS to persuade parliament to in
crease his allowance to one penny.
When n suggestion was put forward
IN the house. a few months ago. DR..
Macnamara said the extra 7-16d asked
for would cost the admiralty an addi-
tional E25.0O0 or 100000 per annum.
No better proof Of the advance OF tenn
perance In the navy could be adduced
and 1t Is only just to acknowledge that
the Improvement is in q large measure
due to the splendid work conducted by
Miss Agnes Weston.
There is a distinct limit to the size
OF a British naval officers wine bill:
but that limit is not a hard-and-fast
one throughout he service. The
amount which subordinate officers
drink is in the absolute discretion of
the captain. and but once he has ex-
PieSSeO AlS views upon the subject, 1t
IL not generally wise for a lieutenant
to demonstrate a difference Of opinion
OF the army, a similar story has to
be told. The Royal Army Temperance
association-which has been working
in India for 60 years, and in this coun-
try for 10 years-has a membership at
home INT abroad Of $1,000 men. Fifty
eight thousand Of these are total alb
stainers, the other 1000 being pledged
to discourage excessive drinking. That
the value of the associations work is
appreciated by the government is
shown by the grant Of $3.50 which is
made every year for the work at home,
n the payment OF eight annas per
day by the government Of India for
every teetotal Tommy in It's services.
Only last October Lieut.. Gen. Sir
Reginald Hart. commander in chief in
South Africa, prophesied that within so
years canteens would be abolished with
/ the consent Of the private soldier.
The principal obstacle in the way Of
/ the work at home stations Is the alb
sence Of a special room in which the
teetotal soldiers can meet. Every sta
ton in India is furnished with q sep
arate club room and coffee bar for its
total abstainers.