Evening star., 1915-01-19
Supt. KimbaII Asks That Es-
Establishment Be Placed on
Basis of Efficiency.
URGES THE ENACTMENT
OF COAST GUARD BILL
Declares Salvage Work of Service
More Than Compensates for
Cost of Maintenance.

To put the establishment upon a
proper basis of efficiency" pleads Gen
eral Supt. Sumner 1. kimball of the
llfc-saving service. in his annual re-
port, "it is obviously necessary to pro-
vide for the retirement of the Veter-
ans still in the service and for hlling
their places, well as the places now
occupied by substitutes, with the best
type of Waterman TO be found on the
Goa StS.
The proposition to unite, under the
Name of the coast guard. the llfe-sav-
ing service and the revenue cutter
service seems to offer the most practical
solution of the problem. y bill design
ed to accomplish this desirable object
has passed the Senate, been faNorab bly,
reported by the committee on inter
state and foreign commerce OF the
House, and is now upon the House
calendar.
The bill is heartily approved be-
cause its provisions appear to be vital
"a rhe welfare of a branch of the pub
lie service engaged in work OF IN
,.aIcuIablc Importance The value OF
the lifC-Saying establishment may IN a
measure he comprehended When 1t Is
stated that out of the multitude of
p,rsons imperiled in all the shipwrecks
that have occurred within its scope
during the forty-threc wears since the
present system was lhauSurateu d
smaller number has been lost than
pcrIShed i'll the memorable HiuSsd us
.Jstcr TO the Titanic.
Salvage an Important Item.
The salvage work of the service,
moreover. has been scarcely less note
worthy In point of fact the value of
the property saved by the corps from
Year to year invariably largely ex-
cccds the cost of maintaining the serv-
Zee.
loug stood at the head of all kindred
Institutions is the closing argument
of Supt. Kimball for this legislation,
and ii is inconceivable that Congress
VIII allow it TO run down and lose its
efficiency for want of legislation that
alone will rehabilitate and preserve
it
Byron II. Newton. assistant secre-
tary of the Treasury. in charge of both
the life saving service and the revenue
cutter service. couCurs in this express
sion of opinion. The Secretary of the
Treasury also has given his strongest
Endorsement to the purposes Of the
coast guard bill.
Supt Kimbalrs desire for the ANAL
:imation of the esaving and
revenue cutter service into the
coast guard has the cooperation of
capt Ellsworth Z. Bertholf command
ing the revenue cutter service. Effort
is to be made to obtain the enactment
by Congress of the pending bill with
out delay. essential to the efficiency
of both services and the best plan for
the operations of these two establish
TuentS and for the welfare of the per-
souue1.
The veteran surfmen of the service
those whose enlistments cover pc
tfa.tS- mi inc f..tsl nT In p
Years. and whose experience and skill
have been the mainstay of the
corps" Supt. kimball testifies, have
been rapidly falling out of the ranks,
and the service has been compelled to
fill their places with Il class of men
signelly lacking in every essential of
the capable surfman-"
The years record. Supt. Kimbal II
states. was made in the face of
this unfortunate situation. which
lie characterizes as a "deteriorated
1ife-saving corps. The record, how
ever, is a formida BILE account of good
work accomplished. even in the show
ing of the statistical figures.
Record of the Service.
There have been 2S,121 vessels in
yoIved in marine disasters to which aid
was given during the forty-three years
of existence of the life-saving service
a total of 17S.1T persons were in
volved. OF the / 40, individuals whose
lives were lost, eight y-five went down
with the steamer Metropolis, in 1878
" hen the life-saving service was i'm
peded in rescue work by distance
fourteen others were lost in the same
fiscal year, owing TO the same diff
Guilty.
At life-saving stations ehcre have
been 2S.fi1 persons given succor in
this period Not all these were in
N"lyed in shipW reck.
Tn" lIfe-Sstving service has a record
% property saved valued at s2SsS71,-
-. with only s66.529.s4 of marine
property lost to its salvage efforts
Th"s. figures represent both ships and
cargo.
Tn" record OF last years operation of
The service is singular in enumera ting
more casualties than during any other
wear. III greater number of persons
involved in these accidents and disas-
tcrs and In the value of the property
vessels and cargo, exposed to dana ge
or loss. There were 1,937 vessels en-
dangered or in distress, carrying a296
uerSOuS and valued. with their carpoaS