Evening star., 1915-12-11

launching facilities. the rebuilding of
dilapidated stations must again be
postponed.
ITO accomplish the rebuilding Of. or
tions which particularly require such
attention. there should be provided for
the fiscal year 1917 the sum of 100000.
Extending the Active Season.
owing to the frequency of storms on
the Atlantic coast during the months
of May and August and responding to
the earnest solicitations of the mari
time interests and the public press of
the country, Congress by the act of
August 3. 1894. authorized the extern
sion of the so-called active season
! when the stations are open and man
| ned) to include those months. The
| active season as thus defined began the
| lst day of August and ended the 31st
day of May succeeding. This is the
/ latest act regulating the opening and
closing of coast guard stations. and is
the law at this time
| The above extension of the active
season was accompanied by very graft
Tying results, and for a number of
years generally served the purpose
sought to be attained by the legisla-
| ton. Since the introduction of motor
propelled boats, however. and their eX-
tensive use both for commercial and
pleasure purposes, conditions have so
materially changed along our eastern
seaboard as to suggest the adNisa billty,
II not the actual necessity. OF a furthef
llengthening of the active season to in
clude the entire year
Duties of Keeper During Inactive
| Season.
| Special attention is invited to mat
ter closely related to the subject just
| discussed and which it is believed calls
for early remedial action by Congress.
| The law requires that keepers OF
coast guard stations shall reside con-
| tinually at or in the immediate vicinity
| of their respective stations, and pro-
| vides annual compensation for them.
| There is therefore no inactive season SO
| far as keepers are concerned.
"In case of the temporary absence OF
| a keeper on account of sickness or
| other disability during the so-called
inactive season he is paid his full COM
pensation allowed by law. employs a
| person at his own expense to take
| charge of the station, and is reim-
bursed for the amount thus paid upon
| the esta blishment of claim for bene-
fits under the provisions Of section Z
| of the act of May 4, 1882.
| This proceeding is fundamentally
! wrong. subversive of discipline, and
. detrimental TO the interests Oh the gov
J ernment. and should be discontinued.
/ because it results in placing in charge
| of a coast guard station a person who
| is not BILE to the laws and regu-
| lations of the service. and therefore
not responsible to the government.
| There is no alternative. however, as
| under existing law a surfman cannot
| be placed on duty at station during
| the inactive season. except he be sum-
Emoned for temporary duty in connec-
| W Wy k0 n
| which case the law specifically pro-
vides for such employment
Interior Navigable Waters.
"The recommendation made in the
last two annual reports for authority
to construct and maintain three light
draft cutters on the Ohio and Missis-
sippi rivers and their tributaries is re-
tnewed. The fact that the floods during
the past two years have not resulted
in serious damage on these waters does
mot indicate, by any means, that there
| is to be continuous exemption of Sc
! rous consequences from the annual rise
| of these rivers.
| There is a constantly growing de-
| nand for the services of cutters along
these inland waterways, in connection
I with the policing and regulation of
annually being augmented. Numerous
occasions have arisen when the services
of cutters would have been instrument
tai in saving life and property from
accidents which occur along the rivers.
| THE increased cost of such patrol
would be inconsiderable compared with
the benefits to be derived. and the peo-
pie along the banks of the inland
waters. it would appear. are as much
! entitled to federal protection of this
kind as are those who live along the
Ishores of the seacoast and the great
lakes
Service Depot in Alaska.
Attention is again invited to previ-
GUS recommendations looking toward
the establishment of permanent
| supply depot at Unalaska or Dutch
Harbor. AS before indicated, the saving
in fuel alone for vessels of the coast
guard would amount to not less than
ls1S,O00 per annum. AS vessels Of the
fish commission. coast survey, light
house establishment and. occasionally.
naval vessels could make use of this
general supply depot, the saving on
their account would, in all probability,
amount to as much as for the coast
guard cutters. Estimates of the cost
of such a supply depot indicate that II
could be purchased and fitted up COM
plete for approximately S1o0,000. An
annual saving of $4,000. incident to
Ian investment of only s15O,000, is SO
evidently a good business proposition
as to need no further argument in its
| behalf