Evening star., 1938-08-28
u. S. Builds Ships and Men
For New Glory on Seven Seas
Out of Its Decayed Merchant Marine Grows
Co.ordnated Training Program for
Manning Peerless Vessels.

~
two years experience at sea- The schools
will be located at Hoffman Island, in New
York Harbor: Fort Trumbull, Conn.,, and
Government Island, at Oakland, Calf.
With the maritime unions estimating
10000 unemployed, these schools will pro-
800 officers The courses will be individ-
ualized as far as possible, so a man who
may have missed some part of his train
ing in the course of his work will be turned
out as an all-around sailor, An important
factor Is that the courses will cover every
phase OF ship operation. Stewards will be
trained in the most efficient manner of
serving passengers. Cooks will cook sea-
men will learn all the duties Of seamen.
Training Vessel Selected.
About five weeks will be spent ashore
and two months afloat. This sea duty will
be on Coast Guard boats until the Mari
time Commission has reconditioned the
old 8000-ton cargo ship Edgemoor rs
training vessel. Included In the training.
for the first time for thousands OF Ameri-
can sailors, will be actual lifeboat and fire
drills. The law requires that boat and fire
drills be held regularly on all American
ships. This consists too frequently, how
ever, Of merely sounding an alarm and
seeing that every man aboard takes his
post. 1t is known that there are thou
sands who have never gone over the side
in a lifeboat. In the training courses the
boats will be manned and put into the
water under actual emergency conditions.
The same will apply to fire drills.
The unlicensed men will receive s3s
month, together with clothing and sub
sistence allowances, while the officers will
get SIPS month, plus quartex.
The program Is under the direction of
Admiral II. A. Wiley of the Maritime
Commission, assisted by Telfair Knight
and Capt William M. Rose. The training
is carried on directly by the Coast Guard
As pointed out by the Maritime Commits
sion in drawing up the plan, the Coast
Guard for more than a hundred years
has been training the most ef1icient sailors
in the world.
Rewards 10 Spur Work
The mere bait of giving temporary Jobs
to unemployed men. however, is unim-
portant. There are definite rewards avail
able for the men who complete the course.
In the first place, each man will be given
the ranks. grades and ratings allowed for
comparable service in the Coast Guard
t,l,,x.t acnf
ship thereafter will receive the pay and
allowances for those grades. In addition
they will be enrolled as members OF the
United States Maritime Service
The Maritime Service has been set up
within the last month for the express pur-
pose Of raising the level Of efficiency. It
is open to all Americans who comply with
the training regulations and the system
OF ranks and grades, together with pay
and allowances, Is the same as in the
Coast Guard. But having completed a
specified training course or having full
filled one set Of regulations Is not enough.
No omcer or seaman can slide along In
the Maritime Service on the energy of his
youth.
Every member must work at sea for
eight months q year in order to retain
his membership in the service. must agree
to 60 with the Coast Guard for one month
to brush up and learn the most modern
methods in his specific Job. Having done
this, he is entitled not only to his pay
for the month with the Coast Guard, but
to bonus OF one months paw.
Annual Pay System Il Goal.
1t is on the basis of this method of
building and maintaining efficiency that
the ship owners and operators are trying
to work out an annual employment sys-
tenn
All this has nothing to do with another
step which still is to be taken. Congress
has asked the Maritime Commission TO
report in January with plan for training
boys for careers as seamen. Studies for
this plan already are under way.
When the job is finished, fve years
hence. there is little doubt that the wishes
Of Congress "for the national defense and
for the purposes OF fostering domestic and
foreign commerce" will have been real
lied. A feet OF nearly 300 OF the most
modern merchantmen in the world, manned
by competent officers and eficient crews,
will carry the Stars and Stripes with a
pride which American ships have not
known since steam drove the Yankee clip
pers from the seas.