Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-11-15

Reduction in the number Of officers
and men Of the list Battalion, United
| States Naval Reserve of the District OF
Columbia. probably will be effected
without the necessity of issuing direct
orders transferring personnel from the
| feet to the volunteer Reserve, accord
| ing to the opinion of Lieut.. Harold e.
Richardson, commander of the local
organization. The reduction Of one
officer and seven men, comprising the
| Fleet Headquarters Division, has been
ordered by the Navy Department, effec-
! tive April /, next, as a part OF the
governmental economy program. The
| Headquarters Divisions will be ABOLISH
ed in all Naval Reserve battalions IN
| the country.
1t was explained by Lieut.. Richard
son, after a study OF the departmental
order that the situation probably would
take care of itself before the first OF
| April, of next year. He said that II Is
probable that some officer now attached
to the Fleet Reserve may change his
civil employment which would require
| his removal from the city, and conse-
quently a transfer to the volunteer
| Reserve.
The three other officers attached to
the Headquarters Division, two MEM
bers of the Medical Corps and one
ferred, one to each of the line fleet
divisions, where they will be carried as
extra numbers, in addition to the line
| officers attached to those divisions. The
| chief engineer of the battalion. 1t was
said, is attached to a special list at the
Navy Yard and not to the Headquar-
tiers Division, and is therefore not al
fected by the proposed changes. The
only officer affected Is the executive
| MI
It will be necessary to make arrange
ments for this officer with one OF the
fleet divisions, and it is probable the
one of the division commanders Will
be required to perform the duties OF
executive officer in addition TO MS
duties as a division commander. TINS
post, in the ordinary course, usually
goes to the senior officer next to the
commanding officer of the battalion.
AS for the enlisted men, practically
all Of whom in the Headquarters DlVl-
sion are in the highest pay grades, they
will be transferred to the fleet divisions.
However, as there remains six months
| in which to make the change, 1t Is
probable that sufficient enlisted men
will be either discharged or transferred
| to the volunteer branch prior to that
time to make room for the headquarters
men. AS vacancies occur they Will be
kept until transfers are made, and no
enlistments will be made until the head
quarters men are taken care Of. 1t is
| probable that with this arrangement
only the drill pay of seanen, second
class, will be saved, as 1t Is considered
more important to keep the trained
men in higher ratings than to enlist
unframed men. The Government has
spent thousands Of dollars in training
these chief petty officers, and If they
were transferred to the volunteer branch
/ they would be lost to the battalion as
instructors for the men in the lower
| ratings.
It was pointed out that the Navy
Department order allows plenty OF time
| for the situation to work itself out and
there should be no cause for alarm on
| the part of the men in the division
directly affected by the order.
Although no direct word has been
heard from the destroyer Hamilton, as
signed to this area as training ship, 1t
was indicated as probable that the yes
| sci will be here in short time. Whether
the local battalion will make use Of the
vessel for week end training cruises is
problematical, as officers are skeptical
from such trip.
While it was indicated that they
would welcome an opportunity to try
out the week end plan, which has proved
so successful In other ports, nevertheless
they point out that it might be difficult
to get a crew for such a short voyage
because of the fact that the ship would
not be away from her dock long enough
for the men to reach any large town for
liberty. Week end cruises 1t was ex-
planned, were attempted when there was
destroyer permanently assigned here,
but they did not prove popular. How
ever, at that time it was said that no
provision was made for messing the
men, but under the present arrange
ment it was indicated that funds are
available for running full messes while
the vessel Is cruising
| At any rate, the officers would like to
see the vessel at the Navy Yard for a
period, so that they could use it for
drilling on the regular night each week.
| The engineer force, it was said could
obtain much valuable training in the
engine and fire rooms of the vessel,
/ and the deck forces, weather permit
ting, could get in some good work at
the guns. 1t was pointed out that the
arrival Of the vessel here also would
permit each division to get some inval-