The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-07-15
GENERAL REBUKES
SHIP GRUMBLERS
Returning Officers Get Best
Accommodations Possible,
Shanks Says. -

Shanks Says. -
Army officers who grumble because
Uncle Sam can't give them fancy state
rooms when he brings them home are
made of pretty poor stun, in the pri-
vate estimation of the one and two
starred bosses of the debarkation job.
Such complaints as were made yesterday
by n party of returning casual officers
aboard the Cap Finisterre left bad
taste in the mouths OF the army COM
manders. They pointed out that when
enlisted men went across by the hun
dreds OF thousands there were many
cases in which from 900 to 1000 men
would be- put aboard ships in excess of
the number of berths that the ships had
and that these men slept on the hard
deck or wherever they liz at night and
never made a Srowl or grumble.
1T might be well for some officers
to bear this in mind said Maj Gen.
David c. Sharks in talk with the
newspaper men last night In his office
at the Port OF Debarkat ton. Hoboken.
Gen. Shanks gave out also the inter-
esting item that by the middle of August
practically the entire American EXpedi-
tionary Force will have been returned
20 this country. and that only $4,000
men will be overseas: 5000 IN occupied
German territory and 10000 guarding
American depots, sheds and property of
various kinds.
Why Crowding Exists.
The General gave out this statement,
explaining Why some crowding Is UNI
avohable aboard transports:
There have recently appeared In the
t1.A
part of officers returning from France In
space on the transport which had pre-.
viously been utilized for the accom-
mediation of enlisted men.
1T Is likely that neither the public
nor the officers who have made the conf
plants are aware of the conditions which
have made II necessary for the ernbarkax
ton officials at Brest to assign otflcers
to other than first class accommodations.
ION July l there were awaiting trane-
portation in France approximately ST.
900 officers, nurses and welfare workers,
male and female. who were entitled TO
first class accommodations. In the ord
mary course Of events utilizing all o.
the troop space for troops alone, and
attempting TO give first class cabin ac-
commodations to all OF the young Of
fioers and male welfare workers. would
have resulted in great delay and tre-
mendous expense.
at should be borne in mind that many
of our troops are being brought home in
ships that year ago were ordinary
cargo vessels. This has been a matter
Of necessity because many OF the liners
which were utilized in sending troops
abroad have been withdrawn by the
British Government for repatriation of
Canadian or Australian troops and for
commercial purposes. 1t was matter
of necessity to convert cargo vessels into
troop transports.
MANY OF these cargo vessels have
very scaht first class accommodations.
For instance, the six converted cargo
vesse!s of the Luckenbach line, carry ing
more than is, 900 troops, have first
class cabin accommodation for not more
than zoo passenger. Taking the first
class accommodations OF the vessels now
In service. II would require more than
three months constant service to bring
back first class passengers II all OF the
$4,000 were to be provided with first
class cabin accemmodatons.
ITO expedite the transportation of
these passengers and to reduce the tre-
mendous expense to the Government 1t
was decided by the War Department to
utilize some of the troop space on the
best and fastest vessels. The Levia than
the Imperator and the Cap Finisterre
are types. On her trip In June the Lee
viathan carried 1900 passengers, ex-
GLIDING, the crew. on her last trip she
carried only 1879 passengers, of whom
about $500 were officers occupying
troop space. During the rush season
of a year ago every berth was occu-
pied in both first class and troop space.
This has been the rule also in returning
troops from abroad.
But in assigning officers TO troop
space more than one-half of the space
occupied by the officers remained unas-
signed. Every officer had a standee
bunk with mattress. pillow and sheets.
and there was kept unassigned an ex-
ira bunk for his baggage. While the
space occupied was troop space, ii was
far from being assigned in the way It
always has been when troops were car
ried.
Got Best There Was:
Many officers of high rank have re-
turned on some of our converted cargo
vessels requiring ten or twelve days
for the trip. The Leviathan And the
Imperator require seven days for the
trip. The ventilation on the larger
and faster passenger vessels is
infinitely better than on the slower
converted freight ships, II the officers
brought over In the troop space on the
Leviathan had remained behind until
she could bring them all over in first
class cabin space It would have re-
quired three months and cost the Gov
eminent much more than a million
dollars.
1T would take fully three months to
bring home $4,000 first class passen-
gers II the movement could not be ex-
pedited in some way. The young on
GERS who have made these complaints
have been travelling on the best and
fastest ships at, the disposal OF the
Government. They have had much
more space and many more comforts
than any OF our enlisted soldiers had
In going over.
ct is to be regretted that all can
not be brought home in first class ac-
comodations, but the reasons set forth
above will show why something had to
be done to expedite the bringing back
OF the numerous first class passengers
still in France and who are clamorIn1