The Washington herald., 1916-12-05
Seen and Heard
By GEORGE MINER.

New York, Dec. 4.-The Assistant
Secretary of the Navy. Mr. franklin
D. Roosevelt, tells me that several
radical changes in the methods of re-
cruiting men for the navy will soon
be made by the authorities, as the
first step toward securing the 10000
recruits needed during the coming
year.
The cooperation Of State authori-
ties has been asked for this work.
Special effort will be made to secure
men for the naval reserve force, pro-
vision for which was made by Con-
gress when it passed the naval ap-
preparation bill last August. The pur-
pose of the reserve is to have large
number of qualified men ready in
time of war or national emergency.
Each member of the reserve receives
annual retainer pay in addition to ac-
tive duty pay.
To be eligible for the reserve a
man must be citizen of the United
States and obligate himself to serve
in the navy throughout war or dur
ing the existence of a national emer-
gency, should either arise during his
term Of service.
There are six classes in the new
reserve force, which provides for the
organizations of volunteer patrol
squadrons and for the civilians who
went on the training cruise. In ad-
dition to the reserve force the navy
will need 10000 men for active serv-
ice in 1917.
We have now in the yards three
super-Dreadnoughts that are al
most ready for launching and work
has just started on two more. Other
vessels building for the navy include
nine destroyers, twenty-nine subma-
rines and several fuel and supply
ships. Three of these destroyers are
almost finished, FIVE are about half
completed, and one has only just
been started. Thirteen submarines
are nearly completed and the rest are
we'll under way. The three big ships
and three of the destroyers are being
built in government yards.
There is a good chance for civili-
ans now to get into the navy as Off
GERS. The Secretary has been en-
powered to appoint annually for ten
years thirty ensigns in the engineer
ing department. The first examina-
tions for these appointments will be
held next January. Any of these ap-
pointees who completes three-year
probationary period, two of which
are to be spent on board cruising ves-
sells and one at the Naval Academy,
is then to be commissioned as lieu
tenant of the junior grade. The Off
GERS so promoted will be required to
perform engineering duties only, but
will be eligible to advancement to the
higher grades in the manner provided
for line officers assigned to engineer
ing duty.
Formerly when an enlisted man
in the National Guard changed his
residence in the State and was unable
to attend drills at his armory, he re-
ceived discharge from his regiment.
This has now been changed. If he
removes to another city in the same
State, instead of giving up his men,
bershp in the National Guard, he is
transferred to another organization
near his new home. If there is no
National Guard organization near his
new residence, he is furloughed to
the reserve and is.a member of the
militia anyway.
An enlisted man has now chance
to leave the National Guard only by
removal to another State. If he
doesn't want to leave it, the adjutant
general will make some arrangement
to keep him in. 1t should work nicely
both ways.