Evening star., 1921-08-21
By HERBERT COREY.

Goodbye. coast guard service.
You're through. The old bell in the
village tower is ringing over you
right now. There's crepe on your
doorbell.
1t is too bad. There never was
finer little marine service than that
of the coast guard. which in 1915
became the heir and successor of the
old revenue cutter service and the
life e-saving service. 1t has century
and a quarter of traditions behind
it. The annual report of the service
is mostly made up of a recital of
lives saved and property damage
prevented. Its picturesque flag with
the vertical stripes has been seen In
every stormy water over which the
United States claims dominion. In its
detailed report of the years work
done there is a stern query following
each story:
Did the coast guard perform its
full duty?"
Usually the reply is yes" The
man who. being a member OF the
coast guard, does not do his fuii outy
had best tie his slicker and sea boots
into a neat package. for he IS on MS
way out.
Dt0 DuEhhS ssahe
+ Too many Of the coast guard cut
ters. with all respect to age anu
honorable servitude, are round
buttocked old tubs that leak scandal,
ously and can barely make head
against a tempest. But no tempest
ever holds a coast guard cutter In
If there is need for her on the seas.
The gallant old ladies did their 1uii
duty during the war. The tqrpedoed
Tampa sank with all her crew. The
latest report shows that during the
year the service took 2.141 persons
from positions of peril and assisted
into port vessels valued. with their
But the coast guard is dying. Its
DAYS are numbered. Tomorrow II
may be only an inspiring memory OF
bravery and sacrifice and self
forgetfulness.
Sentiment may win, of course. 1t
organization of the government serv-
ices is introduced in the House
champions may be found for the
coast guard, for old times sake and
friendship and for the ties of service.
But it is net likely that the cham
pions will prevail. For the coast
guard has become excess baggage, in
the opinion of those who have been
studying the situation. Its work can
be better done by the Navy and at
less cost With a higher tax rate
| impending. the administration is des-
perately studying every angle at
which a saving of cost may be made.
It's hard luck for the coast guard.
but it presents such an angle. 1t has
an academy at New London. Conn.
Cost of Maintenance High.
It's a mighty nice little academy.
| There never was nicer little acad-
| emy. Washed by sea waves. Kept
cool by the sweetest breezes, it is
an ideal place in whichc to gain
ones education:~L Last year. accord
| ing to the printed report, there were
I! twenty-three line cadets under in
struction at the New London acad-
emy But the taxpayers paid some
| thing like a quarter of million dol
lars to keep up the academy, not to
! speak of the taxes which would have
i been paid on the property il privately
| owned. That figures out approx
| which is a trif1e too much. even for
a great and glorious country. A
wing-or even a 1ean-to-added to
! the Naval Academy, at Annapolis,
| would accommodate the twenty-three
| line cadets. 1t is probable they
| would secure an even better educa-
| ton than they do at New London.
Certainly no better education is pro-
| durable anywhere than may be had
| at Annapolis.
! Perhaps it was the cost of the New
! London academy that first attracted
/ the attention on the members of the
committee on reorganization, of which
Walter L. Brown of Toledo is chair
man. They began to go deeper into
, the coast guard service. They in
! quired into the duties now being per-