The New York herald., 1921-11-27
Serious Problems Faced as
New Warships Are to Be
in Commission.
SHIPS ARE UNDERMINED
Naval Man9uvres Held Up Be.
cause Funds for Fuel Are
Lacking.
By eraser scHoRNsTuEIMER.

VI y Ike
Special Despatch to THE New YORK HrRA1p.
Now York Herald Bureau,
Washington. ID. c.. Nov. 26.
England has stopped naval recruit
ing. To-day the United States stopped
1t. However, recruiting was not
stopped because Of plans proposed at
the armament conference. Under the
terms of the Hughes plan only one
battleship now in active commission
VIII be scrapped, and that ship is the
Connecticut, flagship of the Pacific
| fleet.
| The present personnel strength of
the American navy is about 100000
men, but these men are not sufficient
for existing needs. The strength Of
the navy is prescribed by Congress,
and naturally men cannot be enlisted
above that strength because there is
no money to pay them. The navy is
full. mo pay for further help" is the
sign that should be hung out at the
department, not mo help wanted"
1 cAAOAthSC VI CESOnnels
The navy faces to-day serious con-
| dition relative to personnel. All the
battleships. cruisers and destroyers now
In commission and a great many now
out of commission are to be retained
under the Hughes plan. The battleship
forces OF the Atlantic and Pacific fleets
are being maintained with 50 per cent.
OF their full crews and are considered in
active commission. Seventy of the sew
eral hundred destroyers the United
states Is to maintain are in actual ac-
tive commission with SO per cent. of
their full crews. The others have crews
of from 80 per cent. to no men at ALL
Most of the armored and light cruisers
are out Of commission with the exception
OF the cruisers of the Asiatic fleet, three
or four destroyer flagships and the old
cruiser Pueblo, which is not in active
commission but is being maintained as
the receiving ship at New York.
The submarine forces are also euffer-
ing from the lack of men, as is every
naval district. Tho yards are short. the
bdSco al II dT EdSleTn waters are snort
and everything is making toward ruin
because OF the lack of men. So great
Is the lack that it was necessary to
detail battleship from the Atlantic
fleet 70 maintain an active flagship for
American naval forces in European
waters.
No other navy in the world suffers
from the lack of personnel as does the
United States Navy. Japan keeps all
her ships materially and tactically fit
for duty In the slightest degree in full
commission. Great Britain Is maintain
ing large fleet, France has her neces-
sary ships in full commission, and, in
fact, every navy in the world is being
properly maintained except that of the
United States.
Naval Reserve Abandoned.
1t has been necessary to do away with
the naval reserve because of the lack of
money to pay the s13 a year retainer
fees. The Naval Reserve was one of
Americas dearest possessions. The
United States needed Il badly when It
went to war in 1917 and it was not in
existence. During the war Il was built
up because IL was not necessary to call
the unframed reserve to battle while the
Germans were being securely held to
fleet. Now that reserve is gone. There
has been some very adverse comment on
the advisability of doing away with it.
In time OF war the United States
needs these extra trained men very, very
badly and they constitute n powerful
force for government. However, in time
OF war no enemy will wait for the
United States to call this reserve from
all of the forty-eight States to the
colors. or Is the enemy going to wait
for those men to become accustomed
to their ships? What is needed II a
standing trained force. "A bird in the
hand is worth two in the bush" And
so II was with the Naval Reserve.
Next year there will be three fine
new cruisers and some now destroyers
to man. The crews of the ships afore-
mentioned will have to be cut to do It,
unless Congress allows for a very prac-
teal addition 70 the personnel
An additional $1,000 men could easily
be used by the new navy prescribed
under the Hughes plan. II the pro-
lection of Americas colonial possessions
Is given over TO the navy. as II may
reasonably be expected Kat II will be.
an additional 10000 men win be neces-
sary.