Virtually all of this dead wood. th°
report continues, has now' been weed
ed out: recruiting has been good, and
though there were a few locations
where marked deficiencies were noted
generally the enlisted strength of the
divisions approximates to the quotas
allowed.
The distribution of men in pay
; grades however, varies greatly in the
different division-. Some are greatlv
in excess in tiie two higher grades,
while others have deficiencies in these
grades Nearlv -all divisions are de
ficient in the third and fourth grades
tliat is. in petty officers of the second
; and third class—and in most divisions
j there was a marked deficiency in en
gineering ratings;. Until the excess
number of higher pay grade ratings,
now existing as an inheritance from
the old organization, is reduced, no
tably in the ratings of chief petty
officers, the well rounded development
of the units concerned will be serious
ly handicapped, for until this reduc
tion has been aocomDli.sh.ed there ran
be little or no prospect of advance
ment to any ratings, to the conse
quent detriment of the morale of that
organization.
The adjustment of the officer per
sonnel to provide for the assignment
of the proper quota of fleet Reserve
officers to fleet divisions had been pro
gressing slowly. Some of the units
have already developed a balanced
complement, but there still remain in
many localities fleet Reserve officers
greatly in excess of the requirements
while in other localities there exists
not only a deficiency of fleet officers,
but a lack of appropriate material.
