ARMY & NAVY: Pranks

ARMY & NAVY

Sailors caught thieving are swiftly and dishonorably discharged from the U. S. Navy. So harsh has been naval justice lately that Secretary Adams last week addressed the U. S. fleet as follows:

“To brand a minor for life as a thief for such an offense as abstracting a package of cigarets or taking a bottle of milk or a pie from the galley is scarcely a defensible stand to take.

“The department therefore desires that commanding officers do not bring to trial by summary court martial petty cases where it is evident that the accused is not at heart a thief. The department desires to draw a sharp distinction between theft and petty pilfering committed in the nature of boyish pranks.”