Evening star., 1921-08-20
|0RDER REDUCTION
|. IN NAVAL RESERVE
Will Cut Officer Personnel
About so Per Cent-Lack
of Funds Is Cause.

Drastic cuts in the officer personnel
OF the United States naval reserve
force have been ordered by the Navy
Department. Gradually a large per-
centage of the officers Of this force,
built up to a high plane under war
conditions, is to be allowed to 60. In
the event another mobilization be-
comes necessary it will not be
possible for the Navy Department
Immediately to call on these men.
Abolish Class Feur.
+ A. the pfessxtzs. xtzs.tlssthere.are ap-
proximatefy on the rolls Of the re-
serve force 26.500 officers of various
grades. This number is to BE cut
about one.hAifs sEsaesS AZ aknssissis
the naval coast defense reserve. Ii to
be entirely abolished. At the present
time. there are on the rolls of this
force 600 officers. However, 1T was
pointed out at the Navy Department
that some Of this number, notably
men who actually served on combat
ant ships at~sea during the war. will
be permitted to transfer to class 2.
which is the seagoing reserve force.
the Navy Department for the orders
for such a great reduction of re-
serve officers at this time. One, and
the principal one. was the lack of
money with which to maintain the
entire force as at present consti-
tuted. The Navy Department asked
for s14 100000 for the maintenance
received only one-half of that
amount. The other reason given is
that the department wants and in
tends to build up an efficient force of
officers and, men who can promptly
take their stations on fighting ships
event that a. mobilization becomes
necessary.
1t was for the latter, reason that
the Class 4. or coast defense re-
serves. is to be abolished. This force
was made up of specialists and tech
nicians who served at the shore sta
tions during the war but were not
their grades aboard combatant ships.
In this class is a large number of
paymasters and clerks, telephone and
telegraph experts, who never were
required to go to sea during the war
period. and who never complied with
the department requirement for per-
manent commissions In the reserve
by serving at least three months at
sea aboard a combatant ship.
Retain Aviation Corps.
The Aviation Corps is to be retained d
in the reserve force, but all officers
who have not qualified as aviators
will be discharged from the service.
In this branch Of the service at this
time are approximately $3.50 aviators.
ana il. is to be cut to nearly one-half.
All reserve commissions in the Staf
Corps. except the Medical and Supply
corps, which are to be materially re-
duced in personnel, are to be abolish
ed. This includes the Dental Corps.
Construction Corps and Chaplain
Corps. All warrants in the Reserve
Corps, except in class 1, the fleet re-
serve. are to be done away with.
The general board of the Navy De-
partment has set maximum number
Of officers for each corps. limiting the
number Of officers in classes 1 and
to. E500 officers; medical officers, 800:
supply officers. 200, and aviators. 1000.
This Is the total for the entire counz
try.
Immediate Action Ordered.
sCommandants Of naval districts
have been directed to take immediate
steps to comply with the orders of the
general board. Under the terms Of the
order the officer personnel in the Dis
trfct of. Columbia will have to be cut
to the extent Of 1876 officers. only ~
ofiiceRs being allowed to remain in the
quota for this district. This includes
10 line officers, medical omcer, l
supply ofsicer and aviatofs. Al the
present time there are in this district
81 ,line officers. IS aviators. Is medical
ofiicers, 3 chaplains. ~ supply officers.
l. civil engineer, warrant officers OF
the line and { stan Warrant ofncers.