Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-04
COAST GUARD WILL CELEBRATE
18th ANNIVERSARY OF SERVICE
Admiral Billiard Tells Duties
of Arms in Enforcing
Dry Laws.
800 Vessels Prepare for Oh.
servance of Birthday
Today.
By the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
. Along the thousands Of miles of
American coast line, as well as in the
cold waters of Alaska and in the tropic
seas of the distant Philippines, the
Coast Guard today will celebrate its
139th anniversary.
Officers and men, about $4,000 in all,
have made spick and span their 800
swift little vessels, which put forth in
the worst of weather both to save life
and enforce law, and which each year
add new chapters of bravery and daring
to the achievements Of Americans who
live on the sea-
On the eve of this anniversary the
commandant, Rear Admiral Francis C..
Billiard summarized for the Associated
Press the history of the service and his
views on the work it performs. He
pointed out that witnIn "a hours the
Coast Guard, which serves humanity in
peace time, can become a strong arm
OF the Nations defense.
Blocks Smuggling.
Making clear the Coast Guards no.
Sition with regard to rum runners from
the sea, Admiral Billiard said the serv-
Ice was not charged with the enforce
ment OF the national prohibition act.
and It's connection thereto was to up
hold the Constitution through prevent
ing the smuggling Of contraband from
the sea, as 1t had done since 1890.
ADMIRAL Billiards. statement follows:
tomorrow, August 4, all units of the
Coast Guard will observe the l39th an
niVerSary OF the establishment Of the
service.
Created by an act of the first Con-
greSS, approved by President George
washington on August 4, 1890. the
coast Guard has an unbroken record
running through nearly the whole of
our national life of valuable. loyal and
emclent service to the country in peace
ana in war. Commodore Joshua Bar
ney may be described as the father of
the Coast Guard, because it was this
distinguished sailor of the Revolution
who conferred with Alexander Hamil-
ton. the trst Secretary Of the Treas
ury, and submitted a plan for the Gre
alton OF a maritime force to protect
American commerce at sea and to pre-
vent smuggling.
No Navy Department.
AT the time the Coast Guard was
established there was no Navy Depart
ment and the service was placed under
the Treasury Department. The Coast
Guard passes automatically under the
Navy Department in time of war or
whenever the President shall so direct
And 1t has played a distinguished part
IN every war in which this country has
nr1r IT,, he
sinking OF the Coast Guard cutter
Tampa by an enemy submarine off the
coast OF England, when lis officers and
men were lost, constitutes the largest
individual loss, with one exception, sus-
tanned by American naval forces The
Coast Guard vessels constantly main
tain prescribed naval standards and
the service stands ready to pass into
the Navy in time Of national emer-
gency on "a hours notice. 1t is a real
and valuable part Of the national de-
tense.
The Coast Guard has a sort of dual
nature In that while 1t has fought in
all our wars its outstanding. traditional
duties In time of peace are essentially
humanitarian. Chief of these is its
historic work in rendering aid to per-
sons and vessels in distress at sea. In
this inspiring work the record of the
Coast Guard is not excelled by that of
any other organization in the world.
The record Of the life-saving stations
along our coasts in the saving of life
from shipwreck is a brilliant page in
the history Of American valor.
1879 Lives Saved.
''In the last flve years the number of
lives saved or persons rescued from
peril by the Coast Guard was 1929,
and the value OF. vessels assisted, in
Guiding their cargoes, was more than
$148, 900, 900. In one recent week the
service rescued 400 persons. To those
who have suggested that the intensi-
fed work Of the Coast Guard in pre-
venting smuggling may have interfered
with the performance OF its normal du-
ties, it may be pointed out that the
accomplishments of the service in saw
Ing life and in assisting vessels in trouble
has shown large and uninterrupted in
crease during each succeeding year
since 1924.
'.At the request Of the leading mari
time nations, the Coast Guard performs
the extremely important duty OF carry
ing on the international ice patrol to
warn vessels Of the presence OF Ice In
instituted following the loss of the II
tanic, and since the Coast Guard took
over the work there has not been
single life lost by contact with icebergs
or ice fields on the transatlantic steam
er lines.
The Coast Guard locates and removes
floating derelictS from the paths OF
navigation. Its ships each year visit
remote parts Of the Alaskan Coast and
carry law and order to those isolated
regions. It carries out anchorage reg
ulations in our great Seaports and pre-
serves order and protects participants
and spectators at hundreds OF regattaS
and other aquatic events.
Dry Duty Defined.
'In addition to its many other duties
the Coast Guard, during the last few
years, has been actively engaged in pre-
venting the smuggling of liquor into
the United States from the sea. The
Coast Guard is not charged with the
enforcement of the national prohibition
act. Its connection with prohibition
lies solely in the fact that. among its
other duties, 1t is charged with prevent
ing the smuggling of contraband from
the sea, q duty that 1t has performed
since Its creation in 1890. Before pro-
hibition was ever heard Of, the Coast
Guard annually boarded thousands OF
vessels in enforcing the various mari
time laws Of the country. The Coast
Guard Is carrying out, actively and
earnestly, its historic duty OF prevent
ing smuggling, and as regards the
smuggling of liquor, 1t Is thus uphold
ing and supporting the Constitution OF
AInn TTr19tad GfataC