Evening star., 1922-03-25
NEW RESERVE PLAN
PROPOSEDBY DENNY
Bill Drafted by Navy Depart.
ment Is Submitted to
Speaker GiIIett.

Reorganization of the naval reserve
is proposed in bill drafted by the
Navy Department and submitted today
by Secretary DENNY to Speaker Gillett
for Introduction in the House with the
comment that enactment of the mea-
sure will create a naval reserve or
ganization on sound enduring lines and
will provide the vitally important re-
serves so necessary to supplement the
Regular Navy"
Provides for Three Classes.
The bill provides for organization Of
a naval reserve into three classes
one. to be the fleet reserve. providing
men for combatant ships and aviation;
the second, a merchant marine reserve
providing for a war fleet Of naval auXi-
liaries, and the third. a volunteer re-
serve, the personnel of which, as a
| result OF civilian occupations. would be
especially fitted for naval service In
time of war.
Secretary DENLY. in letter to the
Speaker said the bill was drafted
on principles laid down by board
of officers who made an exhaustive
study of the question. The new re-
serve would replace the six class re-
serve which for the most part was
disenrolled last fall because of short
I.aSe of funds.
Oblixatcs Discharged Men.
The Speaker was informed that tine
naval reserve, which last June 80 was
composed of 26,376 officers and 203,-
6G6 men. on March 1 had 4l9. officers
u,9 IN ha
officers and 10,SS0 men serving with
out pay in the volunteer reserve and
374 officers on active duty on naval
auxiliaries or as aviatOrs.
The bill stipulates that men en-
listing in the Navy shall obligate
themselves to serve. In ADDITION 10
their regular enlistments four years
in the fleet naval reserve. On
basis of a Navy of 100000 enlisted
men, the Secretary said. this require
ment in eight years should furnish
about 10000 fleet reservists.
Total Cost Only S75O.OOO Yearly.
Estimating that the annual cost of
maintaining this force would not eX-
ceed s750.O00. Mr.. DENLY declared
that it's value to the country in an
emergency would be tremendous
The Naval Secretary said provi-
sions for compensation We're elastic
and were designed particularly to
furnish an efficient naval reserve Tor
a greatly reduced expenditure OF
funds.
Adequate provisions have been in
cludei," his letter continued, TO
federalize the training of the naval
militia of the several states, so as
to insure that in time of war the
personnel of these organizations,
when called into service in the Navy,
will be able to render efficient service
to the country.
Transfer Law Altered.
Provisions of existing law felating
to the transfer of men Of sixteen and
twenty years service in the Navy to
the fleet naval reserve have been
altered so that ultimately the annual
cost of this part of the naval reserve
will be radically reduced, and it will
be assured that all men transferred
to the feet naval reserve will be
fully qualified physically to perform
all the duties of their respective rates
at sea-
Terms Of enlistment in the reserve
would be four years. and while on
active duty reserviSts would receive
the same pay as men Of similar grades
in the Navy. The bill also provides
for reorganization of the Marine
Corps reserve into a fleet and yolun-
teer reserve.