Milford chronicle., 1919-12-19
UNCLE TED'S
BEDTIME STORIES
Current Events for the Children
and Grown-UPs, Too
WHAT'S WRONG WITH UNCLE
SAM'S NAVY

";Sts" "Uncle Ted is coming and you
'snou, he said he would tell us all about
his trip to New York"
There was a real boys reason for
lacks eagerness to hear about his I'm
cie,s trip to New York. True, Uncle
Ted had made many trips to New York
bnt on this particular one he was
Incsv enough to carry a ticket to the
army and Navy football game. Like
,u bovs. Jack was a great football
fan and he had followed every move
of the two teams before the great bat
lie He had waited what seemed to
him like years for his Uncle's return
and for the story of the game from
one who had been right there"
"Wel, Jack" said his Uncle. Il
know what you want to hear, so here
goes without any waits"
Jack sat with eyes popping, all at
tention as he drank in every word
from his big Uncle who repeated move
for move of the two teams as they
battled over the field at the big Polo
grounds in New York City. AS they
Reared the end of the game Uncle
Ted said: $50 Jack, you see it was a
great game, a wonderful game al
though / wanted to see the Army win,
having been in the army myself, but
those Navy boys from Annapolis put
I'D a great fight. It was the first game
they had won from the West Pointers
since 1912 and you can bet there was
some celebrating that night. Now chill
dren. all this victory of the future
officers of our navy brings up an even
more impOrtatn story which l want
to tell you. 1t may mean the future
success Of our country in any trouble
we may have with other countries. It
is about the condition of our navy to-
day"
rs there anything wrong with it?"
asked Jack.
Yes, Jack, there is. On my way
back from New York I stopped in
Philadelphia where one of our largest
navy yards is located. More than fifty
vessels of the great Atlantic feet are
tied up to the docks there. They can't
be moved all because there are not
enough men in the navy to run them.
You can see that such a condition is
worse at this time than it might be /
otherwise because of the threatened #.
trouble with Mexico, If we should de- !
clare war on Mexico tomorrow it
would be a long time before these
ships could be moved. Now you will
ask, as does everyone, why is the
navy so short of men? That is a
question that may be answered by Jo-
sephus Daniels, Secretary of the Nevy.
1t hasn't been answered yet Why,
since November IL, 1918,
when the armistice with Germany was
signed, so many men have been dis
charged and so many others have de-
serted that today there are only two
ffths of the necessary number of men
to run the navy in peace times, not to
speak Of war times"
What do you mean by men who
have deserted ?" asked Jack.
When a man deserts, it means that
he runs away from the service. If he
IS caught, he is punished and must
serve the rest of his enlistment and
d many cases some additional time.
Every enlisted man in the navy knows /
hat it is a dangerous thing to desert
md no man ever deserts unless he is
'ound to get out and is sure he can't
,e discharged honorably. He knows
lie is taking dangerous chances. He
s not only deserting his ship or post :
i wherever he is located but he is {
lsO deserting his country.
i tell you all this to show that as
rule conditions must be mighty bad +
r something awful wrong before men :
7ill desert. But despite all this, more
han 1000 men, or two per cent of the :
ntire number of men of the Navy :
ave deserted in the last five months. :
o show by example what this short =
ge of men means, some of the big :
Ulcers attached to the big group of a
lips tied up at Philadelphia say that
lly two of the war ships there, the
evada and the North Dakota, could {,
} to sea for any length of time with q
ie present number Of men. At best, 3
1t more than twenty per cent of the
tlantic and Pacific fleets could be
AIMED for sea duty. The ships which
re idle at Philadelphia include one
-eadnaught, eleven pre-dreadnaughts,
lree cruisers and five destroyers (of
le new type) and five times that num-
er not in full commission. And all
lose vessels are held because there
re not enough men. The loss to the
Overnment because these ships are
lie means about 100000 a day. The
anne shortage of men holds good with
le Pacific feet, with ships tied to
1cks at Mare Island, Calf, and Brem-
rton, Wash, on the western coast.
All Inis refers 10 the enlisted men.
he situation regarding the officers
just as bad. They are resigning
ecause they are not paid enough,
leir salaries not having been increas-
d during the last seven or eight years
r more"
Whose fault is it?" asked Ruth.
Secretary Daniels will no doubt
y to blame it on the present Repub-
can Congress but that excuse won't
old good. Up until this year, Con-
ress was Democratic during the
hole Of the Wilson administration.
Why didn't they do something about
:? The first bills to be introduced
boxing toward an increase of fifty
er cent in the pay Of enlisted men
nd thirty per cent in the pay Of Off
ers have been introduced by Repub-
cans. Senator James L. Wadsworth,
f. OF New York has introduced one
I the Senate and Representative
Walter R. Stiness of Rhode Island has
llroduced one in the House. But
ven admitting that the small pay has
omething to do with it, that does not
Apiain the great number of men who
ave deserted. It is very easy to get
discharge now through regular
ieans. Why should they desert? It
therefore no wonder that everyone
5serested in the matter is asking,
MATS wrong with Uncle Sans navy?
I secretary Daniels has talked so much
Dout how efficient he has made the
,aVy and yet here is a situation worse