OCR Text |
Show ! Poor Pay Causing Navy Men to Desert I WASHINGTON, April 10. Thousands Thou-sands of desertions in tho navy in the last year have brought condltionsaun-' paralleled in American naval history, !B Rear Admiral Thomas Washington, !H chief of tho bureau of navigation, to- day told the senate Investigating com- millce. Tile whole naval service, ho( H warned, Is threatened with disaster fl unless congress immediately re-enacts IH legislation raising the pay of officers 'IH and men lo a point that will allow tho H navy to compete with civil occupa- . ! iH There were 1 , G 6 6 desertions in the 1 fll last six months of 1919, Rear Admiral ' jjBfi Washington declared, and thus far jHC this year they havo averaged around jBI seven hundred a month, many of the IBH desertions being petty officers of scv- - D1 oral years experience. Also, at pres- ifBJ cut rales of pay, he said, recruits can- ' Hofl not be obtained. fEtS oo vmrm |