New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-10-09
NEWS OF ARMY AND NAVY.
BILLS INTRODUCED IN CONGRESS RELAT-
ING TO PERSONNEL.
REFORMS OF MANY KINDS PROPOSED-OFflOEhs
AND TIE COLLEGES-A SOLUTION OF TIE
LINE AND STAFF DIFFICULTY
OTHER NOTES OF INTEREST.
fsy TELEGRAPH TO THE TRiBrSE.l

OTHER Mules VI
fry TELEGRAPH TO THE TRiBrxE)
Washington. Oct. s-The init oduction IN congress
of bills relating to the personnel or the Afniy anu
Navy continues. The list now includes upward Oh
fifty bills. some OF which are of Importance win
respect TO most OF the bills presented ho ae"o"
has been taken In either the Senate or House Sena-
tore Walthau and Mcpherson averse to the
immediate consideration of any legislation coming
under the cognzance Of their respective committees
If Is their desire that action Of this kind be post
poned until the Repeal bill is disposed or or III
case Of recess until Congress reconVehes. III
the House. so far as the committees on military
ord naval affairs are concerned, the disposition Is
IN consider and report upon measures which appear
TO have particular merit to be OF present I'M
portance
OF the bills introduced in the House one recently
presented by Mr.. Cultivate is the most important
in view of a desire on the part of many prominent
officers to see the Army brought into closer re-
lations with the people, and its sphere OF useiui
ness thereby increased. Mr. Outhwaites bill pro-
vides that the number of officers who may De de
tailed by the President for duty as military in
sructors at educational institutions throughout the
country shall be raised from seventy-hve, the pres
ent legal limit. to 100 The passage OF the Dill
has been recommended by the War Department.
through General Schofed, on the ground that the
increasing demand from colleges and schools Tor
officers as instructors makes an increase IN the
available number advisable The Committee on
Military Affairs has agreed to favorable report on
the bill. and will recommend that 1t be passed al
an early day.
The same committee has acted with promptness
and vigor on a number of bills which direct the
Secretary of War to remove the charge OF deser-
ton standing against the names OF soldiers VINO
left their colors without authority and failed 10
return to duty during the War OF the Kebelhoh
In every case of the kind the bills have been
nofth p mi a
authorities.
The bill to relieve the builders Of the Concord
and the Bennington the Palmers of New-fork'
from penalties exacted by the Navy Department
on account Of delays the delivery OF those vessels
has been favorably reported by the Committee on
Claims, to which, under curious ruling Oh opeaN-
er Crisp It was referred few days ago vi the
new bills introduced. two are important. one
authorizes the President to place upon the retired
list of the Army, with the rank of maJor-sencrai
Rrigadier-General Carr, who was brought INTO
notoriety during President Harrisons adminisra-
ton by being transferred from the active hs' III
the absence of a voluntary application Inc o'her
bill relates to graduates OF the naval Acaue"'y'
II proyides that the law Of 1882 limiting the num-
Der of graduates to be retained In the service
under which a number of cadets were honoraoiy
discharged shall not apply to those VINO hau
completed their four years course at the acAue'"'
and were at on duty at the tlre ''e az 70
passed. OffcerS restored 10 tne Navy "'N''
provisions OF the bill are to receive pay Tor 'he
time they we've out Of the service Out are o'Ne'
wise TO have their status unchanged
REPRESENTATIVE Meyer acting as a sup-co"'-
nittee has completed his report on the resolution
,hat there be appointed joint committee OF the
Senate and House to report upon the conoiuols
and needs of the Naval personnel Inc report VII,
be presented the House Committee on >a'a.
Affairs in a few days 1t contains nuInper Oh
dtaQf n ha
IN SECURE much-nee:o reforms. The report says
In mart that promotion by selection under some
system must be determined upon If command rank
is TO be reached at an age when respohsioin! van
be assumed and the habit of authority De ioriheu.
Under some method based upon age or length OF
service qualifications Mr. Meyer thinks that seiec-
ton can be made just to officers and oenehcial 10
the service He gives emphasis 10 the point that
the great desideratum is tina: Officers shouid COM
mand at a specified minimum age, and ENJOY there-
after reasonably long career as captains com
modores and admirals. 1t Is with respect 10 'he
organization Of the Engineer Corps that the re-
mort is most radical in its recommendations In
this relation the suggestions made are more IN
accord with the claims OF line officers and In OPP
position to those of engineers In erect IL
is proposed that the number or engineer
officers on board naval vessels be re-
duced and the actual work OF controlling
the engines and boilers intrusted to machnists
sulting or supervising engineer officers. but the
practical work below would be generally intrusted
to enlisted men. Reference in TINS connection Is
made to the ocean greyhounds. on board OF WHICH
II IS said that the engines are handled most success
fully not by scientists but by men who have been
trained as machinists. Apparently Mr. Meyer favors
the French system Of having officers as designing
and consulting engineers and the enlisted men Tor
the practical labor board ship. These sugges-
tons will undoubtedly provoke strong opposition
by members of the Engineer Corps. and may oper-
ate to defeat the final passage Of the resolution
to have appointed a joint committee. as to the
advisabiity OF which action the report In question
is argument
Reports showing the progress and development
of the last year have been prepared for Secretary
Herbert by the chiefs Of the several bureaus Oh
the Navy Department. These reports VIII shortIy
be published. That Of Commodore Ramsay, which
relates to the enlisted force is Of special interest
1t shows that during the year 10,46O men and 2Sl
boys applied for enlistment in the Navy. or this
number In men and 1904 boys were rejected
on account Of physical defects 4,lT men ana l'5
boys were rejected for other reasons. The num-
Der of desertions included S39 men and 32o boys
and were chiefly confined TO home ports The de-
sertions foreign stations were ls5 men ana
seventeen boys No difficulty has been experienced
in keeping full the enlisted force allowed by law
The report Of Commodore Samson while inter
nance material. contains nothing startling in the
way OF developments Apparently arihoi pro
iectiles and guns have, for the present at least
reached a limit in surprises. 1t is intended to hold
fast to the good results obtained heretofore. ana
to make sucn improvements from time TO time as
further practical experience warrants During the
year two steel companies have successfully demon
strated their ability 10 Manufacture armor-plefc-
ing projectes equal, II not superior, to those made
abroad. .
Engineer-in- Chief Melville reports that much i'm
portant work has been performed by his bureau
and he refers particularly TO the plans for the ma
chinery of the gunboats and the torpedo
boats for the Maine and Texas. In an earnest
/ Melville again callg
lion TO the needs of the personnel of the Engineer
Corps. Chief Constructor Hitchborn devotes con-
siderable attention In his report to the necessity
OF further Improvements In the plants OF the sew
eral navy yards notably those at Newly ork Bos-
ton Norfolk and Mare Island. He deems Ii i'm
| portant that the navy yards named should be
equipped for all emergencies. both as manufactur-