Evening star., 1938-04-10
CHANGES SOUGHT
{ IN RESERVE LAW
Amendments to Naval Act
Before Bureau of
Budget.


whether the Bureau of the Budget will
release the bill providing number Of
amendments to the present Naval Re-
serve Act and intended to make it
possible to improve the efficiency of
the Reserve in its preparation for serv-
ice with the fleet in time of war.
The proposed amendments were held
up last year because the budget office
held they were out of line with the
Presidents financial program. The
measure has the support of both the
Navy Department and large portion
Of the Reserves, the final measure
being a result of conferences between
officers of the Regular Establishment
and the Reservists.
Although officials of the Navy De-
partment declined to say whether the
measure. as submitted this time. con-
tanned all of the recommendations as
contained in the original measure,
nevertheless it is probable it contains
most of the provisions, as all of them
are considered absolutely necessary to
improve the efficiency of the Reserve
One of the important features of the
essary to improve the efficiency of the
Reserve, is that providing for the in
crease of the number of appointees to
the Naval Academy from among the
enlisted personnel of the Reserve to
so. This, of course, will involve an ad-
dltlonal expense. which must be con-
sldered in connection with the flnan-
cial program. However. it was pointed
out that with great increase in the
number of naval vessels there will be
needed an increase in the officer per-
sonnel, and the logical place to get
them is from the Naval Academy But,
Of course. it takes four years to edu-
cate the young men before graduation
to commission.
Aside from this. the Reserve units
are flooded with applicants for the 25
appointments now allowed under the
law. The 25 men who make the high
est marks in the competitive tests are
given the appointments, and each year
there are scores, young men of good
officer material, who make high marks
but are unable to reach the academy
because of the limitation on Reserve
appointments.
During the past few years the local
Reserve battalion has captured the
majority of the appointments, but
even in this outfit there are many
young men who are unable to get one
of the places although their marks
are high. The difficulties of youth
obtaining employment has been one
OF the great aids in increasing the
number of applicants for the oppor-
tuntly to get into the commissioned
grades of the Navy.
The present Naval Reserve Act is
l3 years old, and during these years
OF operation some defects have been
found, and it is the purpose of the
proposed legislation to correct these
One of the more notable defects, it
was said, is the failure to provide a
reasonable number of officers above
the grade of lieutenant commander
for each class of Reservists and the
failure to provide for a reasonable
flow Of promotion by establishing an
age in grade retirement in each grade
This, it was asserted, has resulted in
decreased morale in the Naval Re-
serve as whole. The present Re-
serve, it was continued, now contains
in the lower grades many officers too
old for their rank.
Inc general reasons given for
need OF revision in the act, it was
explained are desire to increase the
strength of organized civilian COM
NF
56 to rs men per division; to provide
more training facilities such as eagle
boats and other vessels for weekend
cruises; to provide a greater amount
OF training duty for volunteer Re
serves; to provide for drilling and
training of the merchant marine naval
reserve and to create more Naval Re-
serve officers and to provide for bet
ter flow of promotion.
AS means of providing freer flow
OF promotion in the Naval Reserve, it
mas been recommended that the law
oe changed to bring the number of
captains and commanders up to a
larger number. Another means of
promotion would be provided by pro-
Vldlng for the discharge or placing
on an honorary retired list at certain
ages so that those remaining in those
ranks would be more nearly the ages
OF Regular officers in the same ranks
and with whom they would be expected
to serve in time of war In consider
alton Of this matter the Board of
Naval and Naval Reserve officers rec
commended that the law leave the mat
Ter OF fxlng these ages in the hands
OF the Secretary of the Navy, but said
tnat in the case of ensigns and lieu
tenants tJunior grade) it should be
now less than 40 years: lieutenants
4o years: lieutenant commanders, So
years; commanders, So years, and 81
years for warrant officer, captain and
commodore
Snould the matter go again to Con-
eress. there is little doubt that certain
schools OF thought in the Naval Re-
serve will seek to have included in the
law provision for separate bureau
and separate Assistant Secretary of the
Navy. whose sole duty would be ham
ding OF the Reserve. If this turns up.
1t Is quite certain that it will be bit
terly fought by the Navy Department,
the officers there contending that it
would be inconsistent with naval pro-
cedure which has to do with keeping
the naval service ready for war.
The question of armories for the re-
serves here, as in other parts of the
country, is a serious one. and little
advancement has been made in the
past few years in correcting this mat
ter. The local reservists are housed
IN an old two-story building which
originally was erected for and used as
commercial store and was taken into
the navy yard reservation during the
war expansion.
Changes In commissioned personnel
OF the Reserve have been announced
as follows