The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1921-10-16

IN serve were explained last week by President
Harding in letter to a reserve lieutenant who had
served during the war.
The President explained that at the outbreak OF
the world war; for lack OF a sufficiently trained naval
reserve it was necessary to draw large numbers OF
trained men from battle fleet and assign them to
duty to man auxiliary ships and vessels OF the mer
chant marine and armed guards Conditions which
would permit of such disruption Of first line OF
defense at the outbreak Of are fraught with so
much danger that repetition should not be within
the bounds OF possibility.
The late war showed the necessity for trained
going reserves only in combatan ships but to take
over, operate and protect commercial ships operating
through war zones The number of reserves prior to
the war wholly inadequate to the situation
which confronted the navy, and steps Immediately
taken to acquire and train body OF equal to the
occasion
At the close of the war there were in the naval
service about $4,000 officers and enlisted OF the
force. The bulk of these transferred
the inactive list shortly after the armsce and about
100000 have passed of the reserve by expiration
of their terms of enrolment for other causes.
The necessity for a reorganization of the naval
recognized at early date in this ad-
minisraton and steps taken to formulate WE'LL
considered policy for the future based experience
gained in the world Such a policy. if adopted,
must provide for supplying trained partially haned
to Gil the compliments OF auxiliary ships in time
of national emergency. thus obviatng the necessity for
Withdrawing from the battle fleet.
THE appropriation for the naval force avail
i able for the present fiscal year not adequate
permit the reduction of the naval in or
DERBY manner to the size for which funds avail
able without creating deficiency. It, therefore, be-
the clear duty OF the Navy Department to make
reductions in the naval and to disenron from
September 20 some $4,000 officers and men, all of
whom however, have been given the right to transfer
the volunteer naval in what is known as
class E. status which is without pay.
The sudden separation of such large number of
officers and men from the navy has necessarily Gre
ated situation that will require certain amount of
for the reorganization of the naval under
conditions they actually exist Meanwhile the Navy
Department is engaged in drawing up and will seek to
have enacted, bill to cover the entire subject
From the foregoing it is clear that the Navy De-
partment has no thought whatever of permanently
giving up the naval force but has been forced
to adopt seemingly drastic measures to cope with
situation with which it is confronted
"The naval force" declared President Hard
ing recently, has twice emerged from war with a
record Of honorable service and in the emergency that
now confronts it its members in better man
ner show their patriotism and loyalty well the
true navy spirit than by retaining their membership
pending further Developments, in the indicated
by the Secretary Of the Navy in his letter to those
reserves who have been disenrolled."