The Daily Alaska empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1926-1964, 1926-12-16
PLEA MADE TO
PLACE NAVY ON
FULL STRENGTH
Secretary Wilbur Asks for
More Money-Dilemma
Has Developed.

WASHINGTON. Dec. ia plea
for a looSening of the governments
purse strings so that the Navy may
by law, was made by Secretary VIII
bur in his annual report to Presi-
dent Coolidge.
The question of officer personnel
had developed into a dilemma, the
Secretary said, and with limited
to concentrate on repairs rather than
on alterations required to keep first
line ships up to essential military
standards for fleet service.
In 1925, Mr.. Wilbur said, the Navy
got along with an undersized per
sonnel- 5,1G0 line officers being on
the rolls when the report was com
piled. The authorized strength is
5,499. Lack of funds also made i'm
possible the maintenance of the ere
quired" $4,000 enlisted strength, the
average for the year being nearly
1000 under that figure.
Serious Question
The Secretary gave it as his view
that reduction of the Naval Academy
enrolment had brought the Navy to
face serious question as to how it
could function with an insufficient
number of officers. He urged that
appointments to Annapolis again be
made on the basis OF five for each
member of Congress instead of the
three neccssitated by recent cuts in
the budget.
THE present limit of appointments
to three for each member will not
provide sufficient commissioned per
sonnel for maintaining the strength
of the line of the Navy on a proper
basis the report said even if no
appointments are made to the various
staff corps from graduates of the
Naval Academy"
Destroyer Squadron No. 9 was men
toned as one in which improvements
had been deferred because of the
cost. Economy was also exercised by
striking from the list small craft
and wooden vessels acquired in 1918
and 1919 which require extensive
repairs"
Enlisted Personnel
Except for the fact that the pro-
per enlisted strength could not be
afforded "the enlisted personnel
situation during the year has been
uniformly excellent" with three out
of every four men whose enlistmonts
expired re-enlisting or extended their
enlstments. the report continued
The shortage of man-power in the
fleet was mtgated somewhat By
delay in the completion of the air
craft carriers Saratoga and Lexing-
ton. On their completion these two
vessels will require complement
aggregatng more than 1000 men.
Since funds have not yet been ap-
the Navy's projected new airships Of
6 100000 cubic feet has not been
started. Some concern was noted
among air officials in this connec-
ton because the supply of helium
obtainable from the Fort Worth
! The Secretary made brief mention
of the disaster to the Navy arsenal
at Lake Denmark, n. j., asserting
that operations of Navy always
were attended by hazards of vary
ing degrees and that consequently
accidents occur no matter how di
ligent the efforts to avoid them. Re
commentators would be made to
Congress, he said, covering plans to
guard against such occurrences as
the Denmark explosion.
Navy's Work
Illustrating the variety and scope
of the Navy's work in peacetimes
| Secretary Wilbur pointed to the act
ivities of warships in protecting life
in China, Central America and else
where and of the Nays part in
aiding in the relief of Florida hur
ricane sufferers, and in doing a hun.
dred other jobs, important in them
selves, but which do not grip the
popular Imagination.
AS to aviation. the report said d
study of requirements of aviation
material had shown the percentage
Of reflections, due to failure to meet
physical standards, coupled with
those due to eliminations during
] flight training remained high al