bases. Over 3,600,000 men are housed, fed, clothed, trained, and transported in this
gigantic enterprise. Material crosses three ‘thousand miles in one ocean and seven
thousand miles in the other.

The fleet is mobile because of floating repair facilities, sSupply*vessels, and
advance bases, all on a basis never approached in prewar days.

During the year the Secretary reported that industry had achieved "the remarkable
record" of completing nearly three warships every two days. This does not include
landing and lesser crafte

For the fiscal years 1940 to 1944 Congress has authorized the Navy to spend
$118,200,000,000, and to date $86,800,000,000 has béen committed.

In an epilogue the Secretary said that. the Navy is not "manned and run by
robots .«.e " .."There:-is still-a spiritual factor in war. One cannot fly in a plane
operated by naval airmen, one cannot sail in a ship of the Navy, without being aware
that the spiritual force which pervades all our history is still the real foundation
for the success of our arm... No man can stand in the presence of these young men
on the eve of battle without a deep humility, nor can he, without being presumptuous,
undertake to describe their heroism, their Sacrifice and their service."

He concludes that the men of the Navy vere the affirmation of our American faith
and of the willingness of men to lay down their lives for each other. They truly
exemplify that definition of courage--grace. under pressure".

LEGISLATION AFFECTING THE NAVY:

Expansion of the Naval ROTC from its previously fut cori aed strength of. 7,200. to
24,000 officer candidates until one year after the war and 14,000 thereafter is provided
for by Public Law 1, 79th Congress, Signed by the President on 13 February 1945.

In carrying out the new legislation, the.Navy plans to transfer to the NROTC by
1 July 1945 a large proportion of V-12 officer students, including most of those in
deck officer training. The shift of approximately 17,000 V-12s to NROTC, combined with
the present 5,503 candidates in the latter, will bring NROTC enrollment to a point
near its newly authorized strength on that date. ¢

The place and precedence of NROTC: graduates on active duty, along with that of
other reserve and temporary officers who desire to transfer to the regular Navy, will
be determined by legislation covering the personnel of the future Navy. Proposals for
this legislation are still in the planning state and will not be disclosed until definite
recommendations are made to Congress.

All of this means a shift in plans for the selection and training of naval
officerse Civilian commissions, except for Specialists, are now rare. Officer indoc-
trination schools are closing and so also are some ‘of the midshipmen schools.

we CHEN COW FOR USS PHILADELPHIA:

A luncheon recently was Held ae the Bellevue- Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia at
which the Navy League presented a "mechanical cow" to the cruiser USS PHILADELPHIA.

The mechanical cow is a machine which is being used extensively in the services.
It makes real milk, cream, and ice cream mix which contain all the nutrients and
vitamins of the fresh dairy products. It does this by recombining skim milk powder,
butter, and water by an ingenious process which also ia aio and homogenizes the
finished products. :