The New era. [volume] ([Portsmouth, Va.]) 1845-1847, 1845-10-08
From the New York Evening Post.
BUREAUS OF THE NAVY DEPART
NIENT

Mr.. EDIToR:-The manner in which the Blu
reau OF Construction. Equipment and Repairs, is
administered. seems to have drawn the attention
of the young democracy of Philadelphia The
Pennsylvania of the 9th September contains
proceedings of a meeting held there, among which
we find the following in the resolutions adopted
" Resolved, That aware of the disposition of the
President to have the laws faithfully executed we
shall hail with satisfaction, the appointment of
skillul Naval Constructor to the head of the
bureau of Construction, Equipment and Repairs,
required by the act OF Congress of 1912, re-organi-
zIng the Navy Department, and the reform of any
other bureau not organized agreeably to said act -
That our citizens may have proper view of the
subject, it will he we'll to look at the history of
those bureaus During the administration of Mr..
Tyler, Mr.. Wise brought forward a bill in the
House, to abolish the " board of Commissioners of
the Navy" and to substitute in It's place Bureaus
After assuring the old board that they should be
provided for, opposition to the project ceased
The Bureaus were to be in number seven ; this
would provide for all the old board and its appen-
dages, and one more. The names of the Bureaus
were as follows:
Docks and yards, construction and repairs, e.
qulpment, ordnance, photography, provisions and
clothing, medicine. But Mr. Wise found. ON
weighing the matter, that it was too heavy to get
through both houses, and thereupon modified the
bill by merging the equipment into the construc-
ton and repairs, and photography into the bureau
of ordnance; this they thought was the best that
could be done under the circumstances. for the old
board Of commissioners must be broken Nd at all
events. And it was hoped at the next session of
Congress that the bill could be amended, so as to
bring in the whole seven. The bill provided that
the bureau OF docks and yards, equipment, ord
nance and photography, should be filled with mill
tary and naval officers; the construction and re-
pairs by a sklluI naval constructor the bureau Of
provisions and clothing by purser, and the bu-
reau Of medicine by surgeon of the navy The
officers military was to receive three thousand five
dollars per annum, the puTser and constructor
three thousand dollars, and the surgeon two thou
sand FIVE hundred dollars. This reduction of the
number caused some futtering, as it did not pro
vide for all
But 1t could not then be helped, the session was
near lis close; the word purser in the bureau %
provisions and clothing was stricken out to pro
vide for the secretary of the old board, but the
constructor remained, after the bill finally became
a law. The secretary discovered that the eauip-
ment was of more consequence than the construc-
ton, and he says, "I did not hesitate to put
navy officer at the head of the bureau" and
strange to say, the Senate confirmed it, Tins
the three old commissioners were provided for,
and their secretary but as only $4,000 was al
lowed for the bureau of construction and repairs.
it was not object for an old captain, if he could
get better berth, and his old pay of 8 500, and
the bureau was soon vacated, and a young cap.
tain placed there, he could not expect to do bet
ter among so many. He was killed on board Of
the unfortunate Princeton, at the time of the ex-
ploson, and the place again vacated, and another
captain nominated by Mr.. Tyler, who did not
wish to go contrary to the heads Of the other bu-
-eaus who have great objections to having naval
constructor at the head of the bureau, unless it
;oold be divided, and the equipment made sepa
ate.
But the Senate did not confirm the nomination |
'ecause the person nominated was not skilful :