The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-10-30
Frederick Haskin's Letter
Washington, D.. C., oct zs.-rhe

Washington. D.. c., Oct zS.-rhe
navy this week il beginning IN in
tensive campaign for recruits.
Thirty-eight thousand young Amer
leans are wanted to put on the blue
uniform and be trained into arti-
sans, machinists. aviators, gunners,
radiomen. torpedomen, electricians.
clefys, submarinemen, and the 9TH
Or vocations necessary to the oper-
stion OF Uncle Sans fighting ships
and the naval shore establishments.
From now on for many weeks the
recruiting offices will be busy en-
listing young men who elect to take
advantage OF the undoubtsd Oppor-
tunities which the navy offers
them.
1t may come as a surprise to
some that the navy 50 soon after
the disarmament agreement ia
seeking 5000 new men. The ans
wer is obvious. Even the reduced
establishment permitted by the
treaty permits the American navy
to have $1,000 men in its service.
These men enlist for relatively
short period Of time. The new re-
cruiting is to find men to take the
places of those whose enlistments
have expired or who are leaving
the service to go into the reserve or
retirement.
For instance, the navy this year
is losing $500 chief petty officers
who have served the required time
and are now going ON the retired
list with good-pay.- men,
whatever occupations they may
now take up, will continue to draw
from s67 to 1914 a month from the
government for the rest Of their
lives. This is a reward for long
and faithful service, granted by q
law now four or ave years old.
Those who are retiring after 1f
years Of service will get $67 a
month. Those who have served a
full 20 years will get sos. A man
who retires after 30 years service
gets $134 a month for life. These
allowances amount to 1904, $1,26(
and $1,60S a year respectively;
and, calculating them as income or
capital invested at per cent, they
are the equivalent of $20,100. $751;
500 and $4,000 respectively, hand
ed over by the government to the
retiring petty officers for their free
use during the remainder of theii
! lives. Inasmuch as a boy can en-.
list in the navy at the age Of is, il
will be seen that he can gain thu
smallest of these rewards when h
! is "a years old and needs only tt
, stay in the service until he is 48 il
order to secure the largest.
No Other Nation So Generous.
No other nation is SO generous Il
its sailors. The existence Of THU
retirement law is one of the chic
reasons" why the navy is able t
enlist men of the caliber Of thos'
who now serve in it. Because O
this and ether attractions, the ma
val service has now become highl!
selective. o. those APPARENT!
qualified who apply for enlistment
only one in three can get in at all
The navy is now able to pick III
men with great care.
The young man who enlists IL
the navy can do SO in the know
ledge that he is taking up a career
of fundamental use and value t.
his fellow countrymen. For ever!
dollar the people pay him the pso
pie get value received, and this il
true even if he and his mates neve
have to 20 to actual war for thei
employers. In fact. the view tina
a navy is an essential but expen
sive ornament in time OF peace ant
only pays for the money invested il
it after a war comes Is a view tina
is rapidly passing away. The chic
value of the navy is its peace-tim
value. and it serves the countr
bwell merely by existing.
The recent revelations made b
the revolutionary governments. G
Europe in ransa ckins thair foreig
offices and publishing the secre
documents pigeonholed therei
have constituted a. powerful en-
dorsement of the wisdom Of tn
policy OF the United States in main
tanning strong navy during tn
past 80 years. We are beginnin
to see something Of the fate W
have escaped, and to understan
that for that escape we can than