Evening star., 1936-02-16
Proposed Naval Reserve
Law Changes to Be Studied
Local Officers Chapter to Discuss Problems
at Annual Meeting in Navy
Yard Armory

1t is estimated that about two
thirds OF the Nations commercial ton
mage will be taken over and operated
by the Navy in time of war. In ac-
cordance with the basic shipping
policy, the Navy Department has
shown some concern in the develop
ment of the merchant marine with
a view Of providing ships for the
naval transportation service, but the
interest heretofore has been princi-
pally the considerations of the ma
terial questions rather than personnel
problems. It should also be noted, the
board pointed out, that the liaison
between the Navy Department and the
merchant marine has heretofore been
carried on principally through the
Shipping Board. Since the abolish
ment of the Shipping Board by the
economy act of 1892 and the division
OF its duties in the different bureaus of
the Department of Commerce, there
has been no effective Navy Depart
ment liaiSon with the merchant ma
rlne. At the recommendation of the
President, the report continues, Con-
greSS is now formulating legislation
| which provides means for more eff
fective Navy Department haison with
the Department of Commerce and
the merchant marine generally. How
ever, from point of view recurring
a higher type of reServists from the
merchant marine, there is still much
to be done to provide the necessary
mir
the personnel.
The board says that it seems to be
generally assumed that some of the
| desired improvements in elevating the
status of the merchant marine per-
sonnel will be done by the merchant
marine Naval Reserve. The Naval Re-
serve act of 1925 provided the ma
chinery for building up the Merchant
Marine Naval Reserve It provided
that naval reServists might be paid
as retainer one months salary Der
year Of their grade as enrolled in the
Naval Reserve and for IA days train
ing duty. making it possible for each
member OF the Naval Reserve to re-
celve total Of A days pay per year.
No funds, it was pointed out, have
ever been provided for either the re-
talner pay or the training duty pay
/ for the Merchant Marine Reserve.
Notwithstanding the lack of funds for
training, the Navy Department has
/ appointed more than $500 merchant
marine officers and has given them
certain training through a system Of
correspondence courses There seems
to be a widespread interest in having
the Navy Department extend help
full hand in the procurement, educa-
ton, training and inspection Of the
/ personnel Of the merchant marine.
1t has been recommended 1y the In
/ terdepartmental Board on Shipping
/ Policy which was transmitted to Con-
/ greSs by the President, that the funds
for training and developing a part
/ OF the Merchant Marine Naval Re-
serve should be provided by special
subsidy.
The board said that the hearings
/ before the subcommittee of the House
Committee on Appropriations in
charge of the Navy appropriation bill
for 1886 indicated a deep interest
on the part Of the members regard
1 ing Naval Reserve affairs The Navy
Department policy in training and
development of the Naval Reserve
( was stated by the various officers who
/ appeared before the committee.
In reporting the bill to the COM
mittee of the whole House, the chair
man made the following remarks in
regard to the Naval Reserve:
There has been an insistent, wide
| spread urge, bordering on propa ganda,
to expand this appropriation. How
ever desirable that may be. the COM
/ mittee is advised by the chief of
naval operations that there are uses
for any money additional to the budget
/ the Congress might be willing to pro-
vide Of much higher priority. At the
instance of the committee that Of
fetal is going to appoint a board
! Of high-ranking naval officers, with
officers of the Naval Reserve and of
the Marine Corps and the Marine
Corps Reserve having representation
| thereon, TO study the whole question
Of Reserve personnel; what the re-
/ quirements are and what training
policy should be pursued. If the
London treaty should be extended or
renewed and We eventually become rid
of all combatant craft In excess OF
present treaty quotas, and should Of
ficer and man and operate the entire
Navy Of treaty proportions, our Re-
serve requirements as now set up may
need to be materially altered"
In the hearing on the bill to make
certain changes in the Naval Re
serve act of 1925, the chairman Of
the House Committee on Naval At
fairs made certain remarks which
indicated a doubt in his mind as to
the adequacy of the existing Naval
Reserve, as well as the effectiveness
| of the laws under which it is gov
erned.
The chairman is reported by the
Naval Board as saying that there
! is confusion confounded and more
confusion and it is added confusion
when you talk about the Fleet Naval
Reserve and can hardly tell where the
| line of demarcation is. We know
directly how a portion of that or
ganization is created Those are the
men who have had from Is to 20
years service That is the benefit
you are offering a man when he
enlists in the service.
"Then we have another group who
have no connection whatsoever with
the Navy, who come in voluntarily.
and who are serving somewhat in the
capacity of National Guardsmen.
II think we should have different
names for these two organizations and
instead of calling them Fleet Naval
Reservists, call one q Fleet Naval
Reservist, because he Is a transferred
man. But let us give the other group
a different name so we can know
how many we are enrolling IN the
organization"
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