Evening star., 1939-09-17
Naval Reserve
Units Reorganized
For Efficiency
New Drill Plan
Put Into Effect
By LocoI Battalion

Put Into Effect
By LocuI Battalion
A thorough revision Of the drill
system of"the 1st Battalion, District
Naval Reserve, the general purpose
Of which is to give more RESPONSE
bility throughout the chain Of COM
mand down through the petty Of
f1cers, has been ordered as a result
Of conferences between 1t. A. J.
Benz, U. s. N, in charge of Naval
Reserve affairs mere, and 1t. w.
Croft Jennings, commander Of the
local battalion. The system is ex-
pected to result in greater efficiency.
because of the spirit of competition
which will be stirred up among the
various squads.
The change was impaired to the
officers of the battalion at a con-
ference with Its. Benz and Jennings
last week. Under the new plan
each division will be divided into
two platoons, one made up of men
in the deck force and the other
including men of the engineer sec
ton. The platoons will be divided
into sections, each in charge of a
petty officer, and the squads will
each have a permanent squad leader
who will be responsible for the ef-
flciency Of his men Formerly, when
the men fell in for drill, they fell in
at random, sometimes in one squad
and sometimes in another, with the
result that no one person was re-
sponsible for their training, other
than the division officers. When
something goes amiss in the squads
the squad leader will be answerable
and it is expected that they will
take more interest in their respective
units, with the result that the or
ganization is expected to make great
strides in its efficiency, which per-
haps will be shown at the time Of
the annual inspection before board
of Regular naval officers.
Such plan as has now been
provided for the whole battalion was
placed in effect in the Naval Acad-
emy candidate division last year by
Ensign H. Arthur Lamar, the di-
vision commander.
Plans are being pushed for the
organization Of a rifle team from
the local battalion to represent 1t
at the national rifle matches next
year at Camp Perry, Ohio. Funds
will be provided for the transporta-
ton and maintenance of the team
at the matches and officers OF the
local outfit are considerably inter-
ested in having team there. The
plans are being formulated by En-
sign Lamar.
AS yet they have no place to do
their practicing, but it understood
that efforts are being made to have
the commandant of the Washing
ton Navy Yard set up range in one
of the loft buildings in the yard.
AS soon as this is done the Reservists
will begin their practice during the
winter months and will continue it
next spring and summer in the
open, probably obtaining permission
to use the rife range of the Ma
tional Guard at Camp Simms.
The compensation. now payable
to enlisted men of the Naval Re-
serve injured or become Ill in line
of duty, by the Veterans Admin
istration was discussed last week
and this week the plan of payment
under the United States Employees
Compensation Commission is out
lined. Generally the latter is higher
than that under the Veterans Ad-
ministration. which does not take
into consideration any difference in
rating or rank. The payments under
the employees compensation are in
lieu of and not in addition to the
pensions paid by the Veterans Ad-
ministration.
The amounts to be shown are for
total disability and are paid during
the continuance of such total dis
ability. If the disability is less than
total the amount of compensation
is proportionate to the degree OF
disability. for all cases in which the
monthly rate of pay at the time OF
injury, including subsistence and
quarters, is not less than $8750 or
more than SITS per month. For ex-
ample. Reservist who is 10 per
cent disabled would be entitled to
10 per cent of the total disability
compensation for his rank or rate;
if 20 per cent disabled he would be
entitled to 20 per cent of the total
disability compensation. When the
pay rate is less than $3.50 the COM
pensation for partial disability is
the proportionate part of s5833, the
minimum rate of compensation for
total disability. When the pay rate
is more than SITS, the compensation
for partial disability is two-thirds
of the proportionate part Of such
pay rate, but not to exceed S1l6.66
For example, a Reserve officer whose
pay is $500 a month, If found to be
so per cent disabled by injury OF
disease, would receive two-thirds OF
$3.50 or 500 a month, it was ex-
planned
Compensation is payable only for
loss of earning capacity, and the de-
gree of disability is a measure of
such loss. No compensation Is pay
able when there is no actual loss of
earnings.
There are two allowance rates, one
lower and the other higher, the for
mer being based on subsistence val
ued at so cents per day and quarters
valued at IS cents day. The higher
allowance rates as relating to en-
listed pay are based on subsistence
allowance of 81 20 per day and quar-
ters allowance of IS cents per day, in
both cases added to the base pay.
In the classes following, the first
figures are the lower allowances and
the second the higher: Apprentice
seamen and others in seventh nav