Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-07-07
VARIED DUTIES
OF The COAST
GUARD SERVICE
Captain ]. H. Brown of the
ThetiS Speaker at Ad Club
Weekly Luncheon


AID Club members learned some in
-teresting facts about an important
branch of the United States service at
the noon luncheon-meeting today,
when C~lt James II. Brown. COM
handing the revenue cutter Thetis, ex-
planned some of the duties OF the coast
guard service, and touched on its fer
mer history. Although Honolulu is
the home port of the Thetis. neither
the ship nor the duties which her crew
are expected to perform, are very gen.
orally known.
The Thetis has long and honorable
history. although, as Captain Brown
explained, the ship is hardly represen.
tatiye of the service, owing to the pe-
euliarly favorable conditions which
prevail in these waters. The vessel
is an cid Dundee whaler, purchased
by the United States in 1884 with the
Bear and the Alert, to take part in
the Greeley reiief expedition. In 1890
she was turned over to the coast
guard, or as it was known until very
recently, the revenue cutter service.
One of the most interesting uses to
which the Thetis has been put recent
ly is that of floating court FOR
Alaska, carrying judge and court at.
tendants to little known ports during
the summer, for the administration of
justice.
.peaking of the service, Captain
Brown said that the revenue cutter
service was the first armed sea service
of the United States, organized imme-
diately after the disbanding of the rev.
olutionary navy, and that the first COM
mission to an officer afloat, signed by
President Washington, was to a cap
tain of the revenue cutter service.
One of the, duties of the service is
to cooperate with the navy in time of
war and after pointing to the honora-
BILE record of the revenue cutters in
all our wars, except against Algeria,
Captain Brown went on to say that the
achievements of peace were even
greater than those of war, and that
probably the officers Of the service
took mere pride in the former
Going down the list of what were
the duties Of the service the speaker
mentioned the following, giving in
stances in each case: Assistance to-
vessels in distress, cooperation with
the navy In time of war, destruction
OF dereficts, protection of the customs
revenue, enforcement of the navigation
laws, policing of regattas and marine
parades and the patroling of anchor
ages.
Captain Browns talk was full of In
terest and undoubtedly served to bring
the coast guard service in closer touch
with AID Club members, who in their
turn may be counted on to spread the
word about
Ad Club Ideas.
nj. r. Jennings, newspaper publish
er from Edmonton, Alberta, who has
been in Honolulu for the past two
months, gave first rate talk On the
scope and hope of ad clubs in general
That the ad club is the best proven
tive en- loose BUSINESS methods in any
community, was the contention Ct the
speaker.
An important feature of any ad club
is its vigilance or censorship commit
tee" said Mr.. Jennings. Even 1000
miles of water won't protect you from
the wolves who take your moneys and
fail to return results. .
MIR. Jennings closed with plea for
greater confidence and better under
between space buyers and
space sellers.
The club transacted routine business
before the speakers took the floor. J.
Morton Riggs was appointed chairman
of the membership committee. The
next Ad Club affair will be dinner
to be given at Heinie's Tavern, Friday,
July 16.