The Washington times., 1915-01-18
URGES CREATION OF
US. COAST GUARD
Captain BerthoIf Asks Consoi-
dation Of Life.Saving and
Revenue Cutter Services.


Ursen. recommendation for the ss'
tabiishment Of Coast Guard through
the consolidation Of the Lie .SavinS
Service with the Revenue Gutter Ssrv-
ice is again made by Captain Com
nandant BerthoK. in the annual re
rort Of the Revenue Cutter Service
made public today.
Captain Bertholf declares this meas
ure will result in greater economy
and efficiency and will tend to more
cfft ctjve administration.
the bfll to bring about this !ceisle.
ticn has passed the Senate, has been
reported favorab,y by the House Com
Commerce. and 1t now awaits action
by the House.
S35O,OOO For New Cutter.
Recommendation is made in the re.
port for an appropriation of $35O,Ooe
for tic construction of a new cutter
for duty in the Panama Canal and
contiguous waters. Captain Berthoif
says "the opening Of the Panama
Canal and the expected confluence Of
a considerable proportion of the ma.
rine traffic of the world to this i'm
portant thoroughfare makes 1t, In m,
opinion, highly essential that first,
class revenue cutter should be con-
structed for duty at that point.
There viii undoubtedly be many in
stances where assistance to vessels IN
distress. such as IL now rendered by the
revenue cutters along our coasts. VIII
he necessary. and many OF the vessels
using, the canal will be under the Amer.
ican flag. In addition. all vessels shouio
he boarded and examined in order to see
that fhev nrOnCYlv dncumente0 AnO
are complying with the navigation laws
Wants Depot In Alaska.
Attention is invited to the recon-
mendation made last year for per.
mancnt depot at Dutch Harbor or I'm.
alaska as a base for the operations OF
the Revenue Cutter Service, as well al
for other maritime services of the Gov.
ernmcnt in Alaskan waters. the de-
velopmcnts of this Territory each yeal
make it more and more important thai
A depot OF this kind be established tt
facilitate the work of various branches
of the Federal Government. Such a sta
ton in Alaska would effect an annua
saving of $4,000 for the Revenue Cut
ter Service alone. Since the adoption. o.
oil tor fuel In one of the large crulSinf
cutters 1t has been demonstrated tina
a larger saving could be made by nav
ing oil fuel stored in quantities at {
depot such as proposed. The providint
of facilities of this kind would make i
patrol fleet with oil-burning apparatus
II repeat my recommendation of las
year as to the advisabilitv Of askini
Congress for authority to construct ant
maintain three light draft revenue cut
ters for service on the Ohio and Mis-
sissippi rivers and their tributaries 10
the purpose Of saving life and propert.
during times of flood. The records
the past show that these disasters ar
is no question but that three vessel
would be of the greatest value IN tn
conservation of life and property ii
times OF stress
Wants Two New Cutters.
Construction Of two vessels. to replac
the Perry. lost I'm Behring Sea in 1910, an
a larger vessel to take the place of tn
Manhattan, harbor boat in New York
are recommended.
Summing up the rescue and othe
work performed during the year. Cap
tain Bertholf says the total valuation
Of property saved. during the fisca
year, amounts to $9,2o1.551. The mum
her of vessels assisted was 21o a
Four hundred and seventy-siX live
were saved or rescued from DANCE
during the fiscal year, as compare
WIFI uuIIllS tnc pTcCculuk year.
Recommendation is made for legis
!ation making. anchorage laws sin,
liar to those in New York and Chi
cago. apply to all American ports.
Smuggling, the report says, has b
no means ceased. but tho smalle
number Of attempts Is due to tn
close watch kept upon every foot Q
all the coast lines of the country.
Auxiliary of the Navy.
The report details the growth Q
the service from the earliest day
and describes the variety OF duties
performs. and relates that it keep
up a standard of military prepared
ness AS an auxiliary of the navy.
With respect to the vessels Of tn
service. Captain Bertholf says:
The size and type OF vessels OF thi
service have varied with the geners
increase in size and power OF mei
chant and naval vessels throughol
the world. SO we find that the aver
age cutter of today Ia PRACTICAL
twice as large as the average vess.
or the service twenty-five years ago
Merchants Ask a Rranch