The Washington times., 1915-01-19
SERVICE
EFFICIENCY IN PERIL
General Superintendent KimbaIl
Urges Legislation Providing
! For Retirement of Veterans.

Legislation providing for the retire.
u,ent of men grown old in the SERVICE
and for the reorganization of the Life
Saving Service with the Revenue Cut
ter Service into the Coast Guard, are
urged by General Superintendent Sum-
ner /. Kimball, Of the Life-Saving Ser
vice, In his annual report made pub
lie today.
Superinten ndent Kimban declares these
measures are necessary to put the es-
tabllshment upon q proper basis Of ef-
ficiency. Conditions In the service are
rapidly becoming worse. 1t is declared
and constructive measures are neces-
sary.
May Bring 1t Into Disrepute.
organization of the service. Mr.. KIM
bail says:
''The veteran surfmen Of the service
those whose annual enlistments cover
periods running back twenty or thirty
years. and whose experience and skill
have been the mainstay of the corps.
have been rapidly falling out Of the
ranks, and the service has been COM
relied to fill their places with a class
of men signally lacking In every essen
tial Of the capable surfman. If the
much longer to go unremedted 1t Is
bound seriously to impair the useful
ness Of the service. If 1t does not actu-
ally bring it into disrepute.
ITO put the establishment upon q
proper basis of efficf-ncy it is obvious
~ necessary to provide for the retire.
mont Of the veterans still in the service
and for tilling their places. as we'll as
with the best type Of waterman to be
found on the coasts. The proposition to
unite, under the name Of the Coast
Guard. the Life-Saving Service and the
Revenue Gutter Service seems to ofer
,.%. tns most practical 'o'ot'0" of the prob
$19,000,000 In Property Saved.
Nearly 5000 lives were rescued b. the
service in the last fiscal year. and prop
erty valued at nearly Sls0 900 was
saved. The value of property lost was
12,7N.6S0.
During the year assistance was given
SO documented vessels. and LAS un-
documented. that is. vessels of less
than five tons burden.
There were succored by the life
saving corps during the year total
lief was afforded. OF the number first
named, 43O were from distressed or dis
abled vessels, us had sought refuge
at the stations from storm or been de-
r.,
etc. while 3l2 were victims Of flood in
Texas.
i. Motorboat Accidents Increase.
The report comments upon the
steadily increasing number Of acci-
dents to motorboats reported from the
Nfe.saving stations. and the extent to
which such accidents have increased
the rescue and salvage work Of the
corps. A total Of 1.1Ss accidents of the
kind were reported during the year
sons. and were valued at $1.542 $780,
Seven Of the thirty eight persons lost
during the year perished in accidents
to these boats.
ure Of the success of the station crews
to the service power craft. Of which
there are considerably more than q
hundred employed in rescue and salv.
ago endeavor. These boats make 1t pos
sible for the life-savers to travel great
distances in the aid Of distressed ves-
sells. and largely without hindrance
from the weather. or the 4.762 persons
conveyed to land or to other places OF
safety during the year. 2.4s6 were trans
ported thither by the service power
craft alone.
Men Do Odd Jobs.
Between calls from shipwrecked and
distressed mariners the life-savers find
time to do odd jobs. and the crews are
encouraged in it. The enumeration OF
services Of this character includes the
rescue Of 156 persons from drowning
and from situations OF danger on land
the giving of medical and surgical first.
aid to ninety-nine persons suffering
from sickness. wounds. etc; affording
shelter and subsistence to 400 fishermen
hunters, and wayfarers driven by
storm and flood to seek refuge at the
stations; the recovery Of the bodies OF
1855 persons: the saving Of various arti
cles Of personal property. from the
sea. bogs. mire. and quicksand: service
at fires. of which there were fifty-eight
building coffins for the poor, conducting
funeral services. and performing
burials