Evening star., 1937-12-26

0A0 WIG 1OtcIuucHC SuOulQ CaplC0llZe
on this by providing opportunity for
more Of them to be appointed to the
Academy.
Figures just made public show Re-
serve officers In the District of Co.
lumbia area appeared favorably in
the number Of correspondence courses
on naval subjects taken to date. In
the District the officers had enrolled
IN 232 courses. in New York, SGT;
San Francisco, 374; New Orleans, 373.
The courses and the number taking
them were divided as follows: Navi-
cation, 81; seamanship, 10; gunnery,
13; Navy regulations, 113; visual COM
munications, 10; engineering, IS; in
ternational law. 3; military law, 9,
and naval intelligence, 10. The re-
port showed that the local reservists
had completed 862 courses to date.
The Navy Department has called
to the attention of officers Of the Reg
ular establishment the importance
OF giving every possible assistance at
all times to naval reserv;sts seeking
training. The department, in a notice
to officers over the signature of
Rear Admiral Adolphus Andrews, said
the Naval Reserve is by law an in
tegral part of the Navy. 1t is i'm
practicable in time of peace, he added,
to I'LL compliments of the fleet to
meet war requirements, to keep the
fleet organized at maximum COM
batant strength. or to provide ships
and personnel for the many demands
which logistics, district defense, an
overseas campaign, etc, will impose.
Obviously, he went on, the efficient
training of the Naval Reserve in
peacetime is essential if it is to be of
value in time of emergency. A clear
understanding Of the Naval Reserve
and its purpose is, therefore, the duty
Of every regular officer, and the i'm
portance of conscientious and eff
cient performance of duty on the
part of regular officers assigned to du-
ties in connection with the Naval Re-
serve, which duties require the exer-
else of unusual tact and common
sense, cannot be too greatly empha-
sized.
Housing problems are becoming
more and more serious matter for
the local reservists, and they are
looking to the Navy Department and
Congress during the coming session
in the hope that some provision will
be made for providing better quarters
for them. With force recruited up
to the limit, the matter OF training
space in the local building which is
called their armory is very limited,
and prevents them from getting the
full measure of training at all times.
The divisions were assigned to drill
on separate nights, but this was found
not to work out very well and the
battalion was again called into one
assembly.
The building who now is occupied
by the reservists is a small one used
for years as commercial store and
was taken into the Navy Yard res
ervation when it was expanded dur
ing the World War. The building is
very old, with inadequate heating
facilities. While the main building is
Of brick. the drill hall is nothing
more than a lean-to constructed on
two sides of the building, which is q
definite fire hazard. which is in
creased by the fact that it is heated
during the winter by a series of open
flame gas heaters.
Officers have estimated the cost of
construction of a proper building
which would house not only the Naval
Reserve but. the Marine Corps Re-
serve could be erected for approx
mately s500,000. Not one cent of this
money would be used for a site, as
that is available now within the limits
OF the Navy Yard and is Immediately
on the Anacostia water front where
facilities would be available for tying
up a training ship if one is assigned
to the battalion. However, there
would be ample space for the storing
of small boats which could be used
in good weather on drill nights.