The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-11-06
ADMIRAL O'NEILrs REPORT.

IeEESL mere MntI+ p4c2AAo ~ N---
lishment Of great naval depot are
taking shane and where many seafaring
people live.
Discussing the subject of the enlisted
persouneI OF the navy, Admiral O'Neil
notes that on June 80, the end OF the
year covered by his report. the enlisted
force numbered 1S,S25. OF the petty
officers. sixty-one per cent are native
born. thirty-two per cent naturalized;
Of the men. seventy-two per cent are
native born. eleven per cent natural
lied. The change from the conditions
Of ten years ago is very marked Al
the time the Philadelphia was here
threatening to restore the Queen ana
the American party was under arms 10
defend the Provisional government, an
officer of the cruiser came ashore ana
told some of the Government people
that they need not think II unpatriotic'
II a fight came, to fire on mis- battalion
as there were only four native-born
Americans in II. So late as 1897, accord
ing TO Admiral ONeills' report. twenty
four per cent of the petty ofhcers IN
the Navy and thirty-three per cent oil
the men were aliens. The nationalist
ton in the personnel has been due IN
mart to speciaI care in the selection or
apprentices to get American-born
youth. OF the present force OF appren-
tfces ninety-four per cent were born
under the flag they serve.
Turning to the question Of commits
stoned officers. Admiral O'Nein recon-
rnends that no cadet be appointed TO
ANNAPOLIS who would be below fifteen
or over eighteen on October L OF the
wear he enters the Naval Academy, ana
that cadets be graduated and commits
stoned as ensigns after a course OF four
years At present, cadets enter De
tween the ages of fifteen and twenty,
and are not graduated until after six
years. THE average age when Eng
lfsh officers reach commissioned grade is
twenty years and eight months, says
the Chief OF the Bureau OF Navigation.
THE average age IN our service is about
TWENTY-FIVE ears, which is too late for
a young man to be made a responsible
officer" The change in the length Of
the course is urged further as mat
ter of Justice TO the naval cadets. on
the ground that the present system
places them two years behind the
cadets of West Point. who enter at the
same time that they do; and that as in
many cases they now perform the
duties of commissioned officers, the
change will give them the pay of those
officers. and at the same time will help
the Department which can assign Off
GERS TO more responsible duty than IL
deems advisable in the case of cadets.
The need of increasing the number of
line officers has been felt this year more
strongly than before. IF the Depart
ment were suddenly called upon to man
for war service ali the vessels available
in the navy yard" says Admiral O'Neill,
lit would be confronted with require
ment impossible to meet. 1t is fact
that there are not enough line officers
to man the vessels already construct
ed This lack of officers will be felt
more acutely with each new vessel con-
structed; at present, comparing vessels |
of the same class in the navies of the
United States, Great Britain, France
and Germany, it is found that we have
seventeen officers TO the British thirty |
three. some of whom are midshipmen; |
to the French twenty-siX, OF whom |
some are nlidshipmen; and to the Ger |
man twenty. AS the New York Sun
remarks, War vessels are !
useless by themselves; they need train |
ed officers, and the authorization of new
vessels, without provision for manning
them when completed, weakens rather
than strengthens navy"
To remedy this existing state of af-
fairs, Admiral O'Neill suggests that the
number of cadets at Annapolis be in
creased to 500, whom the changes at the
Academy can we'll accommodate. To
provide these. he would allow each
Senator and Representative to appoint
two cadets, and would authorize the
President to appoint one cadet for the
District of Columbia, and ten cadets at
81, nraGant the aver
age number of graduates is forty-seven.
The Admiral meets the objection that
he foresees may be made to this in
crease, that 1t will create hump" that
will prevent promotion, by calling at
tention to the fact that the present law
provides for fixed number of yearly
vacancies above each grade in proper
ton as the grade is increased. and says
very truly that this will prevent the
formation of any hump"
Hawaii would profit by the numerical
change in the cadet force. Just now
she has no representative at the Naval
Academy, Delegate Wilcox having un-
warrantably given the place to a Con-
necticut lad.
a recommendation appears in the re-
port. that the grade of Vice-Admiral be
revived, with four officers of that rank,
and fourteen instead of eighteen Rear
Admirals. Admiral O'Neill says that
mad we had an officer of such rank on
the China station last year. his position
in the council of allied Commanders-in-
Chief would have been of greater dig
nifty and weight and more commensur-
ate with the power and interests of
this country. The United States are
often placed in humiliating position
on important occasions abroad by rea-
son of the low rank of their naval rep
resentatives. Officers take precedence
according TO rank. and thus our repre-
sentatives are frequently preceded by
those of countries far inferior in power
and prestige"
/ The recommendation is in line with
/ the growth of the Navy and with the
dignity the United States has attained
as a world power. When our vessels