The Sun.
London, England, 1861-03-23 00:00:00

IRE ADMINISTRATION OF THE NAVY

The following most important report of the Royal
Commission appointed to inquire into the manage-
ment of the dockyards was published yesterday :

To THE QUEEN'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY.
May it please your Majesty,—We, the under-
signed Commissioners, appointed by your Majesty
on the 21st August, 1860, to inquire into the sys-
tem of control and management of your Majesty's
dockyards, the purchase of materials and stores, the
cost of building and repairing, altering, fitting, and
refitting the ships of your Majesty's navy, the best
mode of keeping the accounts thereof, and the ex-
penditure of former years connected with the above
subjects (not, however, including any period prior
to the year 1848):
To ascertain whether the system of shipbuilding
in your Majesty's dockyards has been efficient, and
whether the expenditure on the alteration of the
ships of your Majesty's navy, either in converting
them from sailing to steamships, or on other altera-
tions during the progress of their construction, has
been judiciously applied :
To suggest such changes as may in our opinion
be best fitted to render these establishments more
effective for the maintenance of your Majesty's
naval power, together with any measures which
may appear to us calculated to secure the more
vigorous and economical administration of your
Majesty's naval yards :
Do most humbly certify unto your Majesty, that
we have visited and carefully inspected your Ma-
jesty's dockyards at Deptford, Woolwich, Chatham,
Sheerness, Portsmouth, Devonport, and Pembroke;
that we have inquired into the general manage.
ment and the mode of keeping the accounts; that
we have called for such papers and returns and
have taken such evidence, both in London and at
the dockyards, as appeared to us likely to afford
the best information on the subject of the inquiry.
The minutes of the evidence taken by us are an-
nexed, as well as the minutes of the evidence taken
by the Commissioners appointed by your Majesty
on the Bth June, 1860, to hold a similar inquiry.
1. We humbly submit to your Majesty the con-
clusions at which we have arrived, under the follow-
ing heads, viz.:—

I. The system of control and management of the
dockyards.
11. The purchase of materials and stores.
111. The best mode of keeping the accounts.
IV. The cost of building, converting, fitting, re-
fitting, and repairing the ships of your Majesty's
navy. _ _

V. The expenditure in converting and altering
the ships of your Majesty's navy.

I: THE SYSTEM OF CONTROL AND MANAGEMENT
OF YOUR MAJESTY'S DOCKYARDS.

2. We regret to state that in our opinion the con-
trol and management of the dockyards is inefficieet.
3. We are of opinion that the inefficiency may be
attributed to the following causes :-
Ist. The constitution of the Board of Admiralty.
2d. The defective organisation of the subordinate
departments.

d. The want of clear and well-defined responsi-
bility.

4th. The. absence of any means, both now and
in times past, of effectually checking expenditure,
from the want of accurate accounts.

4. The Board of Admiralty consists of a First
Lord, who is a Cabinet Minister, four Naval Lords,
and a civilian, who is a member of the House of
Commons. There are two Secretaries, one of whom
is permanent, the other ispolitical, and the organ of
the Admiralty in the House of Commons when the
First Lord is not in the House of Commons. Any
two Lords constitute a Board, and an order signed
by any two Lords is of equal validity as if signed
by the whole Board.

5. There are five principal officers of the civil
departments of the navy—namely, the Surveyor
(recently called Controller) of the Navy, the
Accountant-General of the Navy, the Storekeeper-
General of the Navy, the Controller of the
Victualling, and the Director-General of the Medi-
cal Department. There is a sixth department—
namely, that of the Director of Engineering
and Architectural Works. All these officers are
independent of each other, and are subject only to
the control of the Board. Each department is
placed under the superintendence of one of the
Lords of the Admiralty. The Controller's depart-
ment is under the supervision of the First Sea Lord.
The Storekeeper-General's department is under the
Third Sea Lord. The departments of the Account-
ant-General and of the Director of Works are both
under the Civil Lord.

6. The principal officers communicate with the
dockyards through the superintendents. It is stated
in evidence that contradictory orders are given,
causing delay and prejudice to your Majesty's ser-

vice.

7. Sir James Graham stated in evidence that
" the Board of Admiralty can only work by the
First Lord exercising power to such an extent as
really to render the Board subordinate to his will."
Again, " that a Board only works well when the
head of it makes it as unlike a Board as possible."
Again, that " the First Lord is technically not a
Minister of Marine, but virtually the system can
never work unless he really be so." It appears to
us that the power which under the existing system
the First Lord is stated to assume, if he would per-
form his duty efficiently, should be conferred upon
him by Act of Parliament.
8. The fluctuating character of the Board of Ad-
miralty has been brought under our notice as being
incompatible with effective and economical manage-
ment of the dockyards. The late Controller, Sir B.
Walker,states that he has seen six or seven changes
in the 13 years he has been in office, every change
cousin., different arrangements and alterations. Sir
Richard Bromley, the Accountant-General, states
that there have been 15 First Lords, 65 other Lords,
and 17 Secretaries of the Admiralty since 1829,
making a total of 97 changes within that period.
There have been six Civil Lords in succession over
his department since he became Accountant-Gene-
ral in 1854. Col. Greene, the Director of Works,
states that in 11 years he has acted under six Supe-
rintending Lords.
9. The fourth cause of inefficiency is stated ander
the head of" Accounts."
10. With a view of rendering the control and
management more efficient, we humbly offer the
following suggestions :-
Ist. That ZMinister for the Navy Department
should be appointed, and should be held entirely
responsible for the control and management of the
dockyards.
2d. That the dockyards should be looked upon as
large manufacturing establishments for the purpose
of building and repairing the ships of your Majesty's
navy.
3d. That the Minister of the Navy should have
the power of appointing a Controller-General ac-
quainted with and qualified to manage such estab-
lishments.
4th. That the Controller- Geheral should have
the
power (subject to the approval of the Minister),
of selecting the superintendents of the different'
dockyards, as these officers are the instruments for
carrying out his instructions.
sth. That the Superintendents of the dockyards
should (subject to the approval of the Minister)
have the selection of the officers under them, with
the exception of the officers in the accountant's and
storekeeper's departments.
6th. That the Storekeeper-General of the Navy
should be appointed by the Minister, but ehould be
under the Controller-General.
7th. That the Storekeeper-General of the Navy
should (subject to the approval of the Minister,
have the selection of the officers in his department
Bth. That the director of engineering and archi.
tectural works should be appointed by the Minis•
ter, but should be under the Controller-General.
9th. That the director of works should (subject
to the approval of the Minister) have the selection
of the officers in his department.
10th. That the Accountant-General of the Navy
should be appointed by, and be responsible to, the
Minister for the navy department ; that he should
have the entire control of the whole accounts con-
nected with the dockyards ; and that he should
furnish all r —2ounts required by the Controller-
General.
11th. That the Accountant-General of the Navy
Should have the selection of the officers in his de-
partment, subject to the approval of the Minister.
12th That the officers and men in the dockyards
Bil°11; Id belacedunder
the same restrictions as to
voting at
the elections as the officers at the Post-office,
Customs, and the Inland Revenue.
13th. That in each dockyard the captain of the
steam ordinary
the fittingot should be appointed to superintend
sponsible for say
ships ; that he should be held re-
deviations from the established
rules as to fittin7
and
dich he may in his judgment
think necessary4.s'should be the medium of
communication betweenthe officers of the navy and
the superintendent of the dockyard.
14th. That all the departments of the Admiralty
tonne
ectnd e with the dockyards should be brought
unde oa roof.
15th. That the Minister should be empowered to
employ scientific and practical men when he may
find it advisable to consult them upon inventions
and improvements connected with the department.
16th. That the estimates laid before Parliament
should be accompanied by the annual programme
of shipbuilding works, as given in appendix Na. 3
to this report, for the year 1860-61, with the esti-
mated cost of each ship under the head,, of " Mate.
rials and "Labour."
17th. That a surplus arising on one vote of tab
navy estimates should not be permitted to be ap-