The Twin City star., 1918-11-09

used for transport purposes will be turned back to
their original uses commerce carriers, and Will
call for merchant crews
The work of manning the merchant marine with
all-Amercan crews thus becomes one Of the great
est of the governments present activities.
1t Is being carried out entirely by the United
States shipping board through its own recruiting
service. This service has national headquarters at
Boston-a famous old seaport and natural GEN.
ter for American sailors-and has training sta
tions also at New York, Norfolk, New Orleans San
Francisco, Seattle and Cleveland. 1t maintains
q fleet Of II training ships and Is training 5000
men a month
The system Of securing recruits for this service
-thay are not enlisted, but sign contract to serve
for the duration of the war; with the privilege OF
serving as much longer as they lke-is exceed
ingy simple.
Observing the effectiveness Of establishing
branch post Offices in drug stores, the shipping
board apphed the idea to recruiting and estab-
lished it's recSpitng stations In each store Of
well-known chain throughout the country There
are 8S54 of these stores, and in each the proprie
tor or head clerk Is sworn in as "dollar-a-year
man" to work for the United States shipping board
as a special enrolling agent Of the merchant ma
rine.
These enrolling agents began their work last
spring. They got to going strong in August Of this
year. as the figures already quoted indicate.
The men whom they sign are sent to seaports
for training, the government reimbursing them for
their railroad fare.
The young men entering the merchant marine
through the shipping boards training service be-
come the special charges and wards OF the shipping
board for the duration Of the war;
Their welfare is looked after from the moment
they enter the service. They are placed on board
big training vessels, where they put into uni
form-a special uniform, differing from that used
in the navy-and are given q scientific course Of
training in the rating for which they "sign on"
Some are trained as sailors, others as fremen,
others as cooks or bakers or stewards. For the
cooks and bakers special schools are maintained
aboard ship there being one at Boston and an
other at New York.
Firemen are given a special school course also,
on the character of COAL combustion, care of boil
ers and the like The shipping board maintains a
large school for fremen at Chicago and another
at Boston
Water-tenders and oiiers-the assistants to the
engineers on a ship-are also given special school
training before being taken to sea, at Chicago
school of engineering.
When the young men thus tralned-nnd some
are quite young, as the minimum age limit is
e,rhteen-have finished their special courses they
arc sent to sea on merchant ships, in proportion
OF four to each six able seamen carried.
Afioat or asAore they are responsible always to
the shipping board, and every time they return to
an American port they report their whereabouts to
the recruiting service headquarters.
In this manner Uncle Sam keeps paternal eye
on the young men making their first voyages. He
knows them. and knows that he can trust them.
They are part uf big family Of young American
sailors of the best sort-Americans whose loyalty
is beyond question, and whose bravery and devo-
ton give the lie every day and every hour of the
day to cruel ISLANDERS that have been circulated
since the war began against the character Of Amer
lean merchant crews.
The young American merchantmen faces grave