The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1862-02-28
Il O F CT A L. ]
Laws Of the United States,
Passed at the Second Session of the Thirty.
seventh Congress.

PUBLIC.-No. l. at
AN ACT to further promote the efficiency
of the Navy. @4. a-- t.
Be 1t enacted By the Senate and House eff Rep
resentatioes Of the United States of america in
Congress assembled, That whenever the name
Of any naval officer now in the service, or
who may hereafter be in the service of the
United States, shall have been borne on the
Naval Register forty-five years, or shall be
of the age of sixty-t two years, he shall be re-
tired from active service, and his name en-
tered on the retired list of officers of the
grade to which he belonged at the time of
such retirement.
Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That the
President of the United States be and he is
hereby authorized to assign any officer who
may be retired under the preceding section
OF this act to shore duty, and such officer
thus assigned shall receive the full shore
pay of his grade while so employed.
Sec. 3. And be 1t further enacted That the
President of the United States, by and with
the advice and consent of the Senate, shall
have the authority to detail from the retir-
ed list of the navy for the command of
squadrons and single ships such officers as
he may believe that the good of the service
requires to be thus placed in command;
and such officers may, if upon the recon-
| mendation of the President of the United
States they shall receive vote of thanks of
Congress for their services and gallantry in
action against an enemy, be restored to the
active list and not otherwise.
Sec. 4. And be at further enacted, That the
President of the United States shall have
the authority to select any officer from the
grades of captain or commander in the navy
and assign him to the command of SQUAD
ron with the rank and title of a +" flag Of
icer;'' and any officer thus assigned shall
have the same authority and receive the
same obedience from the commanders of
ships in his squadron holding commissions
fan older date than his that he would be
entitled to receive were his commission the
oldest; and to receive, when so employed,
the pay to which he would have been emit
tied ifhe were on the active list of the navy.
Sec. 5. And be 1t further enacted, That all
officers retired under the provisions of this
act shall receive the retired pay of their re-
spective grades as fixed by law.
| Sec. 6. And be it further enacted, That pro-
motionsshall be made in place of the officers
retired under the provisions of this bill as is
now provided by law.
Sec. 7. And be it further enacted, That the
Secretary of the Navy be and is hereby au-
thorized to cause two hundred "medals of
honor to be prepared, with suitable en-
blematic devices, which shall be bestowed
upon such petty officers, seamen, landsmen,
and marines as shall most distinguish them
selves by their gallantry in action and other
seamanlike qualities during the present war,
and that the sum of one thousand dollars be
and the same is hereby appropriated out of
any money now in the Treasury, for the
purpose of carrying this section into effect.
Sec. 8. And6e 1t further enacted, That the
hours of labor in the navy yards of the Uni
ted States shall be the same as in the private
ship yards at or nearest to the post where
such navy yard is established, and the Wa
ges paid to all employeesin such yards shall
be, as near as may be, the average price paid
to employees efthe same grade in private ship
yards or workshops in or nearest to the
same vicinity, to be determined by the command
ant Of the mavy gard.
Approved, December FL. 1851.