Paragould soliphone., 1921-07-22
LIFE ABOARD
 4 BAT I 'T|''|L|ESnIP T Is ATTRACTIVE I
Cleanliness and Orderliness Prevail, But Fun and All Comforts of Home Are Provided.
By CHARLES K. HUGHES fIntarnatjonal NAws Seryicgl

! tIUTSFHdLlOuHl NEWS tS0TvlCeV5 1 U. s. s. NEW MEXICO, FLAG |sHIP PACIFIC FLEET, Los An
 geles, Harbor, Cal.-Trom the time Iall hands are called at 5:30 9. m until 800 D. m., when the crew is jsupposed to 'call it day and
 crawl into hammocks. there is al
 ways something happening on the
 New Mexico, or any other ship o1 l the navy in the way of routine.
 There is daily cleaning-ur
 schedule, which is elaborated into
 a general house cleaning" on Fri ldays. On that day there isn't piece of metal the size of dime that isn't gone over with soap and water or secured until it shines like
 new.
 ' Each day there are gun drills Il emergency drills and plenty of other routine training that whets the Il appetites of the men. But in the navy it is recognized that .sall work and no play" is bad rule. Sc there are lots of opportunities for recreation.
 The New Mexico's complement of 1880 men and eighty officers all 1 share in the enjoyment of the ubi- ouitous movies. These are pre-
 sented on the upper deck in the l open air on Tuesday. Thursday, Sat- urday and Sunday nights.
 l One of the nights the correspond ent was aboard seven-reel offer. l ing which had been featured in the
 country's leading theatres was pre- i sented On another night q notable
 production was augmented by a
 comedy reel. The officers of the
 superdreadnough occupied seats in l the front rows of the audience
 chamber, which had canopy of stars for a roof Behind them sat
 the men of the crew on rough | benches.
 On either side of the New Mexico
 were other uperdreadnoughts an-
 chored in the night. The lights on
 one were ablaze from bow to stern.
 A dance was being held by the crew 1 to pay for entertainments given
 them by people ashore during the spring months.
 l The expenses of the movies ,' athletic equipment, dances and gen eral amusement of the New Mexico's
 crew is provided principally through 1 the ships canteen and similar con sessions.
 The canteen is operated under the direction of the ships welfare off cer A paymaster is in charge and an inventory of stock and cash is taken each evening. Tobacco,
 canned goods, cakes, candies, toilet accessories, athletic goods, etc, are sold for cash The canteen is lib- orally patronized, and the profit on the New Mexico is reported to be as high as $400 week. The margin of profit is not allowed to exceed 15 per cent and usually runs about 10 per cent.
 In addition to the profits from the canteen, the welfare fund is swelled by receipts from the ships photographer. cobbler, barber shop, laundry and tailoring establishment. The following profits from the vari- ous shops go to the welfare fund: Tailor, 35 per cent; photographer, l5 per cent; barber, 35 per cent; laundry, 32 per cent; presser, 35 per cent; cobbler, 35 per cent.
 The athletics in which the crew participate include sailing races. baseball football, boxing, wrestling and swimming. In most of these sports there are competitions be- tween the various units of the fleet,
 The participation in the athletic events is entirely voluntary, but most of the crew engages in some of the sports at one time CT another during the year. There is keen com petition between the various ships, for the teams are coached by thej officers, who take as much delight in their charges as when they them selves were competing at the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis. l
 In addition to providing funds for the entertainment of the crew, theI welfare fund is used to provide books and periodicals for the reading room. Also to subscribe to worthy charitable organizations.
 The reading room is one of the most popular spots in the super