New-York tribune., 1900-04-01
NAVAL OFFICERS NEEDED.
TWO PLANS TO BRING NUMBERS TO THE
REQUIREMENTS.
rpY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE ]

washington, March 5l.--Ihe problem OF seCui-
ing sufficient number of competent officers for
the Navy is rapidly growing serious. and as the
number of ships is increasing the necessity for
a speedy solution is becoming more urgent. Last
year Congress added nearly seven thousand en-
listed to the service. raising the total
strength to twenty thousand, but not an officer
was added, in spite of the clear recognition in
the action Of Congress that officers were needed
as much as men, IT is admitted on all sides that
ali additional officers must come from the Naval
Academy with the advantage of early training,
and two plans have been proposed by the naval
authorities both of which appear to be essential
TO provide sufficient number Of capable young
to fill the lower grades. One of these is TO
provide for increasing the size of classes at An
napolis by giving to each Senator the appoint
ment of a cadet. The new buildings Tor the
Academy. being erected at outlay of S5,oNo,-
600. will accommodate such an increased class.
and legislation to this end is confidently antici-
pated This expedient, however, will only half
solve the problem. To-day 139 vacancies exist
in the grade of ensign and this number is in
creasing. The only remedy for this condition
lies in providing for the more rapid graduation
of naval cadets to fill the vacancies. Under ex-
listing law the education of cadets involves four
years at the Academy. followed by two years
probationary period on actual sea service.
Cadets in the final two years perform all the
duties OF regular officers. and in the Spanish
war many of them performed greater duties
than came within the opportunities of compare
lively high officers other vessels. In the
Philippines some of these graduate cadets have
commanded gunboats with great credit, and at
the siege Of Santiago Admiral Sampson selected
one Of them for the most hazardous service that
of cruising in small launch close to the harbor
mouth to rescue Hobson and his crew If they
succeeded in swimming out after sinking the
Merrimac.
TO SHORTEN COURSE AT ANNAPOLIS.
The Navy Department has for long time
urged that this probationary period of two years
in the case OF cadets be abolished, for. as a
matter Of fact all officers continually on pro-
baton and subject to examination. The re-
novsi of this unreasonable restriction would
have the effect Of reducing the course at the
Academy to four years, thus enabling that in
stitution to furnish third larger number of
graduates annually to the Navy. Members of
the House of Representatives would each have
the appointment of a cadet once in four years
instead of in six, and il the privilege of
nomination were extended to Senators the ap-
pointments would increase in like proportion. as
well as in the case of the Presidential appoint
ments of cadets-at-large. 1t is said by the
thorities that with both the recommended in
creases of the Naval Academy's producing
powers considering the number of failures to
graduate, the designations and casualties in the
Academy and in the Navy, barely enough off,
could thus be furnished to fill existing de-
mands, and that with continued naval growth
such now seems certain in few years ad-
dtional further provisions will have to be made.
SECRETARY LONGS VIEWS.
In support of these propositions Secretary
Long has sent the following letter to the chair
With the progress of naval construction and
the consequent addition TO the Navy from year
to year of vessels of the various classes. large
and small, increase in the number of Off
GERS and men available to provide the requisite
complement for new vessels is necessarily re-
quired and this increase should bear pro-
portion to the annually augmented strength of
the Navy At its last session Congress author
lied an Increase in the number Of enlisted men
and boys from Is, 80 to 10000 and the Depart
ment finds il necessary now to request that
steps be taken TO provide additional officers. the
Chief of the Bureau of Navigation whose duty
it is to establish the complement of all ships in
commission" having reported that the number
of officers available for such duty is and for
some time past has been lsufficient.
Among the several methods by which the
number of officers might be increased, Congress
has considered, without favorably acting there
upon, proposition to reduce the course at the
Naval Academy from six four years. and
thus adding to the number of graduates of that
institution available for appointment as COM
missioned officers of the lowest grades. Assum-
ing that Congress may be averse to the adop-
ton Of this method, it is suggested as an alter
native plan that the districts represented re-
spectiveiy by the cadets who have completed
the four years course of study the Naval
Academy be treated vacant and such vacan-
cies filled at once, without awaiting the result
of the two years cruise at This require
ment of two years at before receiving a
commission may. If this plan be adopted, still be
retained, since the services of naval cadets dur
ing such two years cruise may be utilized in
the performance board ship of duties not
materially dssmar from those which Junior
commissioned officers of the Navy assigned.
II the plan thus outlined is not viewed with
favor, it is suggested that the requirements Of
the service would be met by provision author
izing the annual appointment of two additional
cadets at large from each State, such appoint
nents to be made either by the President OF
upon the nomination of the Senators from the
States to which the appointments respec-
lively accredited may be deemed eXpedient.
1t is noted that any plan effecting increase
in the number of cadets graduated from the
Naval Academy would fail to accomplish the
desired result unless the limitations imposed
by existing provisions of law upon the number
Of officers 10 he appointed annually removed.
a clause has accordingly been placed in the
draft for providing for the repeal of such pro-
visions Of law prescribe that no greater num-
ber of appointments from the graduating class
of the Naval Academy shall be made than shall
equal the number of vacancies occurring during
the preceding year in the lowest grades Of COM
rnissioned officers of the Navy and Marine
Corps.