A. W. 0. L.

The percentage of desertions from the United States Navy is steadily increasing. Forty members of the crew of the U. S. S. Maryland were missing when she left Brooklyn for her last Southern cruise. Twenty of the crew of the cruiser Denver failed to materialize when she recently cleared from Boston for New Orleans.

High wages offered in industry is the principal reason assigned for this unrest. High naval officers further suggest that some of it must be charged to dissatisfaction with the personal relations between officers and men. The Navy Department has requested commanding officers to study the situation and to submit recommendations for relieving it.