National Republican., 1876-08-18
OFFICIAL.
NAVY DEPARTMENT, }
WASHINGTON, August l., 1873.

WASHINGTON, August l., 1878. I
General Order No. 2l6.
The estimates made for s.Pay of the Navy
for the current year were 81 600 900. To keep
the personnel of the Navy properly employed
to meet the Lest interests of the service and of
the country, this amount was, in the opinion
of the Department, actually required, as will
appear from the estimates submitted and the
statements made up in the office of the Fourth
Auditor of the Treasury, where all naval ac-
counts are finally settled. The representatives
of the people in Congress have, however, de-
termined that this sum was not necessary,
upon the express grounds (see explanation of
Conference Report on Navad Appropriation
BID "that by very rigid enforcement of
somewhat disused power on the part of the
Secretary of the Navy to furlough officers, in
stead of having them under the heads of 'other
duty or waiting ORDERS very considerable
reduction could be made" )" and they therefore
'give the Secretary of the Navy the disagree
able duty of putting officers upon furlough,
when they can be spared from the actual needs
of the service, at the same time saying that If
1t should be found by experiment that 1t is
impossible to get through the fiscal year, we
at another session of Congress will perhaps
make it right" Congressional Record, June
SO, page 49,
In pursuance of this policy, Congress appro-
priated for the current year, for the ''Pay" of
the Navy to be administered upon this plan,
former complement of S, 800 men, the sum of
IS, O,OOO, or nearly So ,OC0, 900 less than the
amount of the estimates. Under these cir
cumstances, the Department, although enter
tanning different views, feels bound to make,
in good faith, the effort to bring the actual
| expenses of this branch of the service as near
| as possible to the amount appropriated by
| Congress. This can only be done by reducing
the number of officers employed, to those alb
solutely needed to meet the daily pressing re-
| quirements of the service, and by putting
| those unemployed upon the lowest pay recog-
nized by the provisions of existing laws.
1t is indeed "disagreeable duty" for the
! Secretary to be obliged to put so many we'll
deserving officers Iii position reserved, of late
| years, solely for the useless and undeserving,
and perhaps to reduce the pay of some gallant
glen below what is actually necessary for the
support of their families. But he has no other
| alternative, except that of refusing to carry
out the expressed will of the representatives of
the people.
Congress will be asked, at its next session,
to remedy to the deserving the evil which Is
thus done them, and, in the meantime, it will
be understood that this order neither imputes
any wrong to, nor involves the disgrace of,
any such officer: but that it is simply an effort
TO meet, as near as may be, the requirements
of public law, binding alike upon the Depart
ment and the service.
IL is therefore Oruereu, tnAL-
l. Until further orders, officers relieved from
sea- going vessels and having made cruise or
part of a cruise, will have as many months
''leave" or "waiting orders" dating from the
day of their detachment in any port of the
United States, or if detached abroad, from the
date of their arrival in the first port of the
United States, as that cruise or part of
cruise has been in years, with proportionate
''leave" for fraction of year of such SER
vice. At the expiration of their "leave' or
waiting orders" such officers will thereafter
be regarded as on "furlough," and are, by
virtue of this order, so placed on "furlough,"
and will be so paid by disbursing officers with
out further instructions from the Department.
II. Officers relieved from shore stations, har-
Dor ships, or special duty win have one months
'leave" or "waiting ORDERS" dating from the
day of their detachment, at the expiration of
which they will be regarded as on "furlough,"
and are, by virtue of this order, so placed on
"furlough," and will be so paid by disbursing
officers without further instructions from the
Department.
III. All officers not on duty on the 1st of
September next, and who are not affected by
either of the two preceding paragraphs, will be
regarded as on "furlough," )" and are, BY virtue
OF this order, so placed on "furlough" from
that date, and will thereafter be so paid by dis
bursing officers without further instructions
from the Department.
". The foregoing applies only to the Active
List of the Navy, the pay OF retired officers
being fixed by special provision of law.
GEO. NJ. RoBEsoN,
Secretary of the NAVY.