The Washington times., 1901-10-12
FOR IMPROVING THE NAVY.
Admiral CrOwninshield's Annual
Report Urges Many Changes.
increase of Officers Declared imper-
ative, and soc Cadets at Annapolis
Advised-A National Reserve and
m New Ration Recommended.

ative, and soc Cadets at Annapolis
Advised-A National Reserve and
n New Ration Recommended.
The report of Read Admiral A. S. Crown
inshield, Chief of the Bureau of Naviga-
ton of the Navy Department, for the
year ended June 80, 1901. has been issued.
The voluminous document makes many
recommendations for changes in the rules
governing the navy and an unusual
amount of new legislation is proposed.
The most important recommendations
made are the expansion of the list of oft-
GERS on active duty. the creation of the
grade of vice admiral. the increase of the
number of cadets at the Naval Academy
to 500, and the organization of a great ma
tional reserve of seafarinS men and others
fitting for such duty. for use in case OF
war or any other emergency. 1t Is pointed
out that at present it would be impossible
if necessity should require to properly
man all the vessels OF the United States
Navy, and that three years hence, when
vessels now building are commissioned,
the need will constitute a formidable diff
Guilty.
a recommendation is made that the reg
ulations be changed to permit Of honor
able discharges being issued to enlisted
men and apprentices whether their en-
Iistments have expired through the time
limit or whether the discharges are given
because of disabilities a new navy ra-
tion is recommended as an Improvement
on the old bill of fare.
The proposition to expand the list of
line officers of the navy, is commented
upon in the following manner:
THE ever-increasing need of line Of
ficers has made itself felt with augment
ed force during the past fiscal year. AT
no time In the history of the navy mas
such a condition held IS now exists. If
the department We're suddenly called upon
TO man for war service all the vessels
available in the navy yards, it would be
confronted with a requirement imposst-
BILE to meet 1t is a fact that there are
not enough line officers Of the navy to
man the vessels already constructed
This being the case, the bureau need
scarcely call attention TO the state Of al
fairs which will exist in about three years
when the vessels now under construction
will be completed. In order TO make plain
the need for officers. the subject must be
approached in a logical manner, and to
do this we must consider the needs OF
each ship constructed and under construc-
ton. Taking then the sum OF the needs
of the individual ships We reach the
needs Of the service. considering incident
ally the need for a reserve, and other rea-
sons which will prevent the total num-
ber of officers on the list from actually
serving on board ship in time of war. To
this end the following is submitted:
Line officers required to man bat
tleship. one commanding officer; one exec
utive officer. one chief engineer, one nav
igating officer. six turret officers, two
secondary battery officers. three powder
division officers, two assistants to chief
engineer.
in the opinion of the bureau there is
but one remedy for this fatal error in
our naval policy, and that is to increase
the number of cadets at the Naval Acad-
emy. The new construction now under
way at this station will enable the Cow
ernment to accommodate comfortably at
one time about 500 cadets, and tn, bureau
believes that the number of cadets at the
Naval Academy should number not less
than 500. 1t is believed that it was the
intention of Congress when authorizing
quarters for such a number of cadets
that upon the completion of the works
the money expended should not remain
idle, but that all cadets which the insti-
tuition could accommodate were to be edu-
Gated: and the bureau believes that the
time has come when the intended increase
should begin.
ITO this end the bureau recommends
the following legislation:
Provided, That from and after the pas
sage of this act there shall be allowed at
the Naval Academy two navy cadets for
every member or delegate Of the House
of Representatives, two for every United
States Senator one for the District of
Columbia, and ten at large annually; pro-
Vided further, That the number Of lieu
tenants in the Navy of the Dni1ed States
shall be $50 and the total number of lieu
tenants of the junior grade and ensignS
shall be coo. Provided further. That a
naval cadet, upon successfully completing
his four-year course at the Naval Acad-
enly, shall be commissioned an ensign;
Provided further. That no cadet shall be
prevented from being so commissioned by
any law limiting the number of lieuten-
ants of the junior grade and eusigns;
And provided Furthermore, That all acts
or portions of acts inconsistent with the
provisions OF this section are hereby re-
pealed'
In opposition to such a marked in
crease TO the appointments to the Naval
Academy IL might be advanced that a new
hump would be created The present law
provides for 4 fixed number of vacancies
above certain grades in the service and
by increasing the number of vacancies
above each grade in proportion as the
grade is increased due to the commissiea-
ing OF officers, the possibility OF a hump
will be avoided. Then, again, this objec-
ton could be met by so adjusting stand
ards at the Naval Academy that only
classes of a certain size would be gradu-
ated in any year. the size to be so ar
ranged as to increase the number of com
rnissioned officers gradually.
In concluding the subject Of the Off
GERS the bureau feels it its duty TO call
the departments attention to the great
injustice done to this cOuntry's interests
by causing it TO be represented abroad by
officers of comparatively low rank.
ITO cite a single instance. if the United
States had been represented by vice
admiral in Chinese waters during the