The evening times., 1896-07-09
CHANGES IN THE RULES
Naval Board at Work With
This In View.
DONE QUITE FREQUENTLY
A Regulation Book Is n Formidable
Affair-One of the Most Signtft-
cant Modtfications-Influ
Legi station Prohtbited-The Mao
rine Corps Pleased.

Some important changes are to be made |
in the rules which govern the navy. For
some time a board has been at work with
this object in view. Naval regulations APP !
pear TO be revised for the purpose OF re-
vision. Ei
Less than four years ago Assistant Se0
retary Soley prepared an ambitious and
bulky volume of rules which seemed 70 !
cover every conceivable incident of the.
service afloat and ashore. =
No sooner was the soley book issued than
the department. people began to revise the
regulations, and hardly week has passed
without some amendment. p
A naval regulation book, kept up to date
with clippings attached tothe margins and
red ink alterations in the text, is a formidsi
able affair. There We're so many revisons
and amendments OF those revisions and
alterations of the amendments OF the re-
visions that it has become necessary to
simplify the official publication. /
One OF the most significant changes is the
new regulation which requires all sug- (
gestions OF changes to be submitted to the
judge advocate general, instead of to the
chief of the bureau of navigation. =
SOME COMPLAINT. z
Just why this change is made does not
appear on the surface, but it is understood
that there has been some complaint at theT
exercise OF authority by TIE Navigation
Bureau chief. He is line officer. and some
of the othe rbureau chiefs, notably those
OF the staff, have felt he might be disposed !
to discriminate to their disadvantage.
The Department authorities say that thu
revision rests finally with the Secretary
TO whom it is necessary that the suggestiona
should come in proper legal form and.
| phraseology, SO that after all the judge
| advocate general will exert no powerful Oh
| dangerous influence in his harmless office
| of framer OF sentences. :,
Another change is the insertion of 3
| paragraph prohibiting naval officers from
| Influencing legislation" This is the fruit
| OF the vigorous efforts made during the last
| session of Congress to secure desired &C.
ton by Congress. i
The practice, at no time creditable, be-
came positively obnoxious to mem bers.
| There is a question whether the new reg.
ulation Will be observed. 1t is one of those
paragraphs which are hard to fasten upon
| the alleged offender. 1t is a curious fact
| that one of the members of the board which
/
conspicuous by his presence about the Cap
itol last winter and in sending friends, In
and out OF the service, to secure the pas.
sage of bill. ~,
The marine corps will be pleas with q
regulation which makes the marine guard
| on shipboard a distinctive command, hav.
ing charge of certain guns, and, when prac-
ticable, under the command Of marine Off
GERS. This is the result of the protracted
| fight on the corps, when certain naval line
officers sought to have the marines abol-
!shed and the force degraded into some
thing like navy yard watchmen. 1t is q
victory which has been long deferred. II
will give no satisfaction to Lieut.. Fullam
and others who led the assault on the corps.
THE SAME HoNoRS. !
Provision is to be made for the reception
of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, SO
that when he visits ID man-of- war he Will
have the same honors which are shown the
Assistant Secretary OF war at amilitary post.
The regulation is adopted in the Interest
of uniformity in governmental custom.
| A requirement which will interest all the
younger officers Of the Navy is the stipula-
tion that watch officers Of ships shall work
out navigation problems in regular turn, in
order that they may be familiar with the
duties of a navigator. The new system will
make every officer more competent to fill
the position Of navigator, which Is one Of
the most important on sbipboard.
There are many differences between the
practices in the army and navy in dealing
with the enlisted men. The army seems tt
be more liberal in its treatment of the sol
diers than the navy in its dealings with tta
enlisted force. Gradually the laws have
been made more uniform, and some of the
remaining distinctions will be wiped out II
the new naval regulations.
| II is provided, among other things, thai
enlisted men must serve at least four MONTH
in the navy before they avail themselves
of the privilege Of buying their discharges
The army system of allowing Fay Officer
TO pay enlisted men by check, instead oi
personally attending to the transaction, 4
also ad opted.