Evening star., 1936-03-22
Candidates for Naval
Academy Given Advice
Naval Reserve Commander Talks to Enlisted
a Men Seeking Appointments
s to Annapolis.

particular part IN developing our sea
power. The relative Importance of
the various branches or classes must
be based on careful estimate of the
situation, made by officers who,
through War College training, are
prepared for this work.
THAT our Naval Reserve is in
adequate has been stressed by every
chief of the Bureau of Navigation
In the annual hearings before the
Naval Appropriations Committee since
1925. Necessary funds to build up
our Navy to treaty strength have been
urged at the same time. The country
has been flooded with propaganda to
build up our Merchant Marine.
THE inadequacy of the Naval Re.
serve deserves serious consideration.
However, in building up our Reserve
We should always maintain a true
perspective of its relationship to our
total sea power.
THE written and oral statements
Of the representatives of the Naval
Reserve Officers Association give the
impression that they have some kind
Of an official status and that the
Navy Department should consult the
| association before making important
decisions. For instance, it was stated:
The United States Naval Reserve
Officers Association has indicated
from time to time by its recommended
tions that it declines to assume the
responsibility for condition where
a paper-strength Reserve, consisting
in large part of unframed men, should
be considered as national asset
Although the Navy Department Is
pleased to receive and consider con-
Structive recommendations regarding
the Naval Reserve from any and all
sources, it has never at any time con-
sidered delegating its responsibility
for an adequate Naval Reserve to the
Naval Reserve officers Association, or
any other associations. 1t might be
added here that in administering the
Naval Reserve as whole, the Navy
Department does receive suggestions
from other associations. such as the
Fleet Reserve Association, composed
Of 16 and 20 year enlisted men; the
United Licensed officers Association,
representing the licensed officers of
the merchant marine, etc. None of
these associations are officially rec
ognized by the Navy Department as
having any responsibility in its ad-
ministration.
'The Naval Reserve Officers Asso-
citation was again in error when it
assumed that the numerical strength
of the different classes, their training
and compensation, is delegated to a
minor official of the Navy Depart
ment. These matters are given con-
sideration by all the various admins
trative authorities concerned in the
subject matters.
THE Naval Reserve Officers Asso-
citation completely ignores the fact
that there are more Reserve officers on
active duty for the administration of
our present Naval Reserve than there
are in the combined National Guard
and organized Reserves of the Army
on similar duty. The fact that our
administration is decentralized to
naval districts, where Naval Reserve
officer advises the commandant on all
immediate problems of the Naval Re-
serve, seems to be completely forgot
ten. To make political. appointments
of the Naval Reserve officers, who
would administer Naval Reserve affairs
in the Navy Department by consult
inv Nc INT Ha1Hs
without considering the commandants
in the districts, would be detrimental
to naval efficiency. AS before men
toned, every idea proposed by the
Naval Reserve officers before this
committee has been previously con-
sidered and thoroughly studied by the
Navy Department, and is either in
cluded in the proposed law or def
nitely discarded for good and sufficient
reasons. The recommendations to
force some extraneous organization
for the benefit of any private in
dividuals or association on the Navy
Department should not receive serious
consideration.
"The suggestions on this subject
contained in the presentation of the
Naval Reserve Officers' Association,
have also been considered at various
times. No practical means of sepa-
rating the Naval Reserve appropria-
tions from the rest of the naval ap-
propriations has ever been found. In
fact, the whole system of budget
policy at the present time aims to
restrict approaches to the Bureau of
the Budget rather than to distribute
them to local activities. An erroneous
statement was made that the admin
istrative head of the Naval Reserve
had no direct approach to the budget.
The chief of the Bureau of Naviga-
tion, as administrative head Of the
Naval Reserve, does have direct con-
tact with the Navy Department
budget and the Secretary Of the Navy.
He aso has access to the Bureau of
the Budget. The increased approved
budgets recommended for the coming
year show in practical manner that
the existing system can be made
effective.
'The comparisons made with the
National Guard and the Naval Reserve
are those usually put forth by those
members of the Fleet Naval Reserve
who are also members of the Naval
Militia of the various States. In
spite of the fact that the Naval Re-
serve is a purely Federal organization
and the National Guard a State or.
ganization. except when called into
the Federal service, there has been
an insistent demand from few of
these officers during the past few
years that the Navy Department set
up a separate bureau for the admin
istration of the Reserve"