Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-12-31
o IMPROVE THE NAVY
Some Recommendations of the Personnel
Board.
AmaIEamatfon of Line and Engineers
COrps-EquitabIe Treatment
OF the Enlisted Men.

Assistaht secretary Roosevelt, as chairvt
man OF the naval personnel board. appoint.
cd 10 consider and report upon means to
break up the present stagnation in pros
motions. to settle the long-standing differ.
erces between the line and the engineer
terment Of the condition OF the enlisted
ren aboard ship. has submitted a bill def
signed to effect those ends
The board recommends that the line off.
GERS and engineers be amalgamated: that
when the number of officers to be promoted
Is so lar In excess of the vacancies as TO
cause stagnation in the service, the requi.
site number Of vacancies shall be caused
by wedding out the men who are least fit
10 meet the heavy requirements of modern
naval duty; that the enlisted men aboarJ
snip DE gwen the same reward of pension
and retirement enjoyed by their brethren
VINO nsnt ashore, while the uppermost ma.
cnihists are made warrant officers TO rank
win the gunners and carpenters
Il am able without qualification" says
MT. roosevelt, Ito report to you that the
bill they have produced would. If enacted
.il'o law. be OF literally incalculable good
10 the navy, and would make our naval
service the pioneer in the proper solution
OIL problems, some of which are old but
some OF which are So new that ,hc,, have
'o' yet peea solved by any naval nations
Proficiency I'm Engineering.
1T Is absolutely essential" Mr. Rooses
welt continues, thar the best naval Off.
Ger oil the future shall be proficient in en-.
sihcering. The fact that Farragut knew
hotnihg OF engines has no more bearing
on the case than the fact that Blake knew
nothing Of sails. Exactly as Nelson. who
succeeded Blake. had TO know letaJls OF
naval matters Of which Blake was iynor-
ant, SO the Farragut of the future must
know, Know what the great victor of New Or.
ha had
learn. This is an age of spaAlaliza ton: but
there can be no specialization IN command
IN tme II may very possibly prove des.r-
able TO oinerentiate less by law Than Inv
departmental custom, among he officers
az sea, so as 10 employ each p,incipal,y
along the lines for which he shows .he
most aptitude but they must remain line
o1icers, the major part of whose duties are
identical; and the engineer must .tiffer
from his fellows only in the same manner
as the navigator or the ordnance expert
ooes. The only way to meet the
present stagnated condition is TO provide
ior the elimination of some of the officers
IN the lower or middle grades and there
by TO hasten the flow of promotion and to
reduce the age at which command rank is
reached. 1t was deemed best by every
member OF the board to try the process of
eliminating the officers who were retund,
ant rather than Of selecting TIE highest
for promotion"
Benefit to the Service.
IN SoHciuoi1e, ne says: The bill il Sol
obviously In the interest of the whole
service. II will so unquestionably beneft
that service and raise the profession of the
United States naval officer to a still higher
level that IL seems unlikely that there
will be serious objection to what II nro,
poses 10 DO, save perhaps on one point.
lhis IS the matter of expense If the rec.
concentrations OF the board are carried
ont, II the increase of officers which thew
Oeem desirable is reOuired nv Inn "a
IL tnese omcers are paid as the marine
corps and army officers are now paid there
VIII be an additional cost of nearly GOo.OO0,
should not recommend the expenditure
Of such a sum for any but an important
object. Nevertheless, sir, 1 not only rec.
ommend 1t In this case, but wish to state
with all the emphasis possible, that in my
judgment, the question of expense is un.
important compared with the benefit to
be gained"
Provisions of the bills.
The bill wipes out the engineer corps IN
name entirely, makes the course at the
Naval Academy four instead OF three years.
provides Tor eighteen rear admirals where
there are now but six, insures the same
course OF instruction at Annapolis TO all
cadets. no matter for what corps they NAV
enter, and makes other radical changes in
the whole system.
The grade Of commodore is abolished
and the term midshipman, given up some
years ago for naval cadet, is restored.
Ensigns under the bill may be promoted
after three years. whereas of late most
officers Of this grade have served from
nine TO eleven years before advancing in
rank. Provision is made for machinists
that will tend to improve the personnel
of this department The two years'
course at sea for naval cadets is suspend.
ed. The bill also confers the same rights
as regards retirement and pension upon
the sailors that are already conferred upon
the soldiers.