The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-11-12

''Having failed to provide enough off
GERS to do the nary's work, We are over.
working those who are supplied Man,
OF those now in service are being broker
down under the strain. Through not har-
ing more officers many of the best tina
We now have are being lost
The warning words quoted above are
contained in the annual report of the Blu
reau of Navigation, which its chief. Rea,
Admiral A. S. Crowninshield, has just
submitted to the Secretary of the Navy
He insists that some practical method Of
augmenting the navy's personnel must be
authorized very soon or 1.-THE service will
soon fall behind in its struggle, first, for
leadership and then for equality with 9TH
er services
To Admiral Crowninshield the law au-
thorizing the employment on active SER
vice OF officers on the retired list is very
Objectionable, and he urges its repeal.
1t means, in word" he says, tina.
those who are admittedly either incapaci-
tated for duty or entitled to further ex-
emption from duty may be employed to
bolster up navy list staggering under q
weight Of duties entirely disproportion-
ate to its numbers"
To obtain the needed increase Admiral
Crowninsh:eld recommends that the
course at the Naval Academy be reduced
from six TO four years, that appointments
to the Academy for the next ten years be
double what they are now, and that each
United States Senator be given the right
to appoint cadets
In connection with his recommendation
be urges also that the Department adopt
a system, which has been found satisfac-
tory in foreign administration, of request
ing Congress in AUTHORIZING an increase of
vessels. TO authorize at the same time an
increase in the navy list corresponding ex-
actly with the officers and men required
10 man the new vessels This system has
been adopted by Germany and England the
latter Government having. in providing for
the construction of fifteen new warships
this year. arranged that there shall be an
increase Of i-as0 officers and men
To man vessels already built. or under
construction or authorized, for which no
crews lave heen provided, there will be re-
CURED BIZ July ], 1902. not less than 300 ad-
ditional officers Of the line, $50 of the
grades and corps about Fifty warrant
nachinisis, and about 5,000 enlisted men.
But this number. ne gees on to say, lis
required. as indicated. for new vessels, that
Is. for vessels which have never been in
commission. a like number will be re-
quired for the battieships and cruisers now
out OF commission and Tefitting at the vari-
Gus navy yards and still there will be nc
provision for manning an auxiliary fleet OF
transports, coliiers, scouts. supply and re-
pair vessels. and hospital ships if the feet
should require these agxiliaries for war. Il
has always been the policy Of the Govern
ment TO regard its regular establishment Of
the navy and army as nucleus about
which a larger establishment would be
formed in case CT war. The present estab-
lishment. however. can no longer be con-
sidered as an effective nucleus for such a
purpose. Il barely suinced for the Spanish
war, and were the feet TO be manned with
full compliments, as it would necessarily
be II called upon to fight frst-class Eu-
ropean power. the present ps4 sonnet would
form barely onefourth of the total estab-
lishment''
Admiral Crowrinshield criticises the sys-
tenn Of holding vessels in reserve with skel T!
eton crews that may be made ready for |
service within a short time. lie cites the |
experiment made last summer Of putting |
the reserve batt,eships Indiana and Mas
sachusetts in commission under emergency |
orders. Thirty hours after the orders to
commission were given the TWO vessels
had received their stores and additional
men and were completely equipped But
Admiral Crowninshield holds that DESPITE
this thorough preparation the vessels could
not be literally ready for any service"
until the crews had been on board long
enough to be drilled into an efficient fight
ing force.
THE obstacle to the success OF the re-
serve system is very serious in our pres
emit small navy" he says In case of
war with any first-class European power
we would need our whole fleet ready for
action, IN the shortest possible time. The
bureau doubts II the Indiana crowded into
commission on short notice has more than
one-haif the fighting value of the Indiana
three months in commission. However ex-
ceiient may be the training of each indi-
'iouai, ne must be trained with his mates
on board that ship in order to give his
Iull value to the ship. For this reason tbo
bureau does not look forward to apy pres
emit increase in the reserve system. Were
our navy larger In comparison with our
ieeos, motives OF economy might make IL
wise to lay up vessels in reserve. Under
present conditions. however, only those
mould be laid up in reserve which wouId
otnerwise have to go entirely out of COM
The system established BY the Ru.e,r
of Navigation Of enlistine fun grown n,au
AZ ianasmen has had gratifying results
BEFORE this system was put in operation
ne Navy Department found considerable
iimcuity In securing enough men for the
service A squadron OF training vessels
las peen put In commission, and sir
months instruction sufHces in a majority
u cases to train landsmen in the ways OF
lack Tar. s
These vessels" says Admiral crownin. y
'hield, have carried in all about son !
anosmen under instruction, and are fur I
lishing Tor cruising vessels each six 1
months about 1000 trained men who :
men they first went on board were lands
len without sea experience. Two 1
thousand landsmen will have been trained n
MEN Kidney trouble prey upon "
avn ~ the mind discoursye, "a a