New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-12-17
NAVY SHORT
27,5OO MEN
Continued from page 1

to $4,000 men. There ought to be de.
veloped a naval reserve consisting OF
men trained in the naval service, grad
yates of the service wherever posslt =.
The remainder of the reserve should
h. made I'D of men upon whose will
ingness to volunteer in the event OF
hostilities there would be small doubt.
OF course, if reserve were created
where war ervice was obligatory 1t
would result in a smaller reserve tan
if war service was voluntary. | am
still open to conviction as to the best
solution of this part Of the problem"
Representative Hobson asked Mr..
Roosevelt about the naval militia and
was told that the Navy Department
could count on not more than 1000
men at most from that organization in
war time. Within three months, or
slightly more, they could be assiml-
lated by the regular service in capaci-
ties requiring lesser skill and training.
"Do you see opportunity for the
provement of this situation regarding
the naval militia" asked Mr.. Hobson.
mo" was the reply, mot under Z
present law. We must make the service
more attractive to men in private walks
Of life. These improvements should be
along the line Of better training ships
and more opportunity for experience
with the feet"
what class of ships have you now
for the training of the naval militia ~
asked Representative Kelly, of Mlchi-
gan.
"The ships the naval militia now
have are for the most part the old
yachts bought in 1898 for use in the
Spanish-American War. They are not
suitable for training equipment. What
the navy needs for the use of the
naval militia is gunboats of the class
now in use in the tropics. Ii could be
supplied by the building of new ships
for this gunboat service and the turn
ing over of the old vessels to the
militia.
"You have not these ships to spare
out of the present service" asked Mr..
Hobson.
Down to Bone in Ships.
ave are right down to the bone in
the matter Of ships" was Mr.. Roose-
velt's reply.
Representative Roberts. of Massa-
chusetts. called Mr.. Eoosevelts atten-
tioi TO the fact that ships wee being
used for the training of militia which
could accommodate only a single officer
and ten or eleven men. He asked If q
destroyer from the hotilla quartered
at the Charleston IS. c. Navy Yard
might not be spared.
"They cannot be spared" said Mr.
Roosevelt with an air of iinality. "You
can't spare material for the benefit of
personnel The cost to the service is
too great"
This brought Mr.. Roosevelt to the
point of expressing eoncretely his
views as to the need of genuine naval
reserve based on the experience OF
other nations, more particularly that
Of Great Britain. Representative Hob
son framed the question for him, say
ing:
There would be in case Of war, TAX
ing your own suggestion of a require
ment of from 10000 10 10000 more
men, shortage of from $4,000 to
43, 900 men from the enlisted portion
of the service. What would be the So
luton of this difficulty"
81 think" said Mr.. Roosevelt, "that
L. re should be a national naval re-
serve, based on two fundamentals.
First, by the Navy Department
keeping in absolute touch with the men
on the reserve list. They should keep
track of the names of every available
ex-enlsted man and of such others
who upon examination could prove their
compe ency.
1.-THE service should be made so at
tractivo 70 ex-enlsted men and civil
iars that they would be willing to
serve in it," continued Mr.. Roosevelt.
Il. e. - 10
the statement that the Bureau of Navi-
g.ticn had a bill creating a national
naval ervc now in preparation. Def
mite recommendations on this point
had been sought by the committee from
the Secretary of the Navy.
/ The problem of the probable com
ponents of a naval reserve had been
under investigation by the Bureau OF
Navigation also. Thus far il was est
mated that there were in the United
States probably $4,000 men who had
servCd in the Lavy young enough and
competent to form the nucleus of a
naval reserve.
Inquiry as to the merchant marine
on the seas and Great Lakes as a feed
err for the naval service was interject-
/ ed by Representative Hobson. Mr..
| Roosevelt then said:
Nine Months to Make Sailor.
"There is small difference in the de-
| STABILITY of a merchant sailor or a
/ country boy fresh from the inland re.
! gions of the United States as material
out Of which TO develop a real sailor.
/ Il requires an average of about nine
months, so ] am informed, in which to
make competent ordinary seaman
out Of such youngster.
| The committee wanted some informa-
/ ton from Mr.. Roosevelt as to the mean
ing of the navy terms, ain commission
in reserve" Gin commission in ordi-
nary" and "out of commission" as an
piled TO the ships of the navy, particu-
/ larly the battle feet.
He explained that the Navy Depart
ment had found it more profitable to
maintain certain of the older ships ain
commission. in reserve" than 10 keep
them constantly on the seas.
"A battleship in commission in re-
serve has one-third of its crew and all
of its officers aboard" he said. at
could be made ready for sea within
twenty-four hours in most cases, and in
forty-eight hours in practically every
case. The ship would not be ready for
battle short of about three months
! from going into commission. She has,
as 1t were. TO find herself The crew,
assembled in the ratio of one familiar
with the vessel to two strangers, has
to be shaken down. The gun crew and
turret crews have 10 develop the team
work necessary TO the complete eff
cheney of the shin in all fines and