The Washington times., 1902-06-17
Secretary Moody to Maxi
Some Radical Changes
in the Force.
ARE TOO MANY INSPECTORS
Some May Be Placed on Waiting Orders
Until Berths Can Be Found for Them
at Sea-Not Enough Wc-k Ashore
for Them to Do.

In his six weeks as Secretary of the
Savy Mr.. Moody has made some radical
changes. and more are coming. One OF
he most important OF these is the merg-
.ng of the inspection board with the gen
sral board, and it is the SecretaTy's in
:ention to reduce the membership of the
Joint body by sending some Of its mem
oers TO other duties. Those who are left
will have to do double duty. The gen
eral board prepares plans for war and
the inspection beard examines new ships,
ships Just going into commission. and
ships just back from long voyages.
The Secretary is making an inquiry TO
ascertain why SO May officers Of high
rank are on inspection service. lie in
tends TO reduce the number of these and
also to reduce the number of officers on
duty at nay- Yards ard naval stations.
Just what will become of those detached
cannot be definitely ascertained. but it is
understood TO be the Secrctarv's purpose
TO place many officers on waiting orders,
his theory being that it is all wrong to
keep them on service bringing higher
rates of pay when there is not enough
work for them to do. The officers who
will be retained at the navy yards and
naval stations will have TO do their pres
ent regular work and the work of the OFF,
GERS detached. A pretty general thinning
out of officers on duty at the Navy De-
partn;ent will be included in these re-
forms.
To Held Up Promotions.
There now appears to be no doubt that
President Roosevelt and Secretary Moody
intend to hold up the promotion Of every
officer eligible to advancement to COM
mand rank If he has not had what they
regard as an adequate portion of sea
service in the grade of lieutenant COM
mander. This rule viii probably apply
also to commanders eligibility for cap
taincies, and will certainly have a de-
cided effect on the cases of captains
eligible fer flag rank. Just how the
President and his Secretary OF the Navy
hope to accomplish policy Of making
promotion by selecticn-for that is what
it amounts to-is something which no
body has been able to ascertain def
nitely. The law provides that promo
tions shall be made by seniority, and it
takes the adverse report of an examin-
ing beard to enable the President to
pass over an officer at the head OF the
list CT his grade and promote the man
next below him. But Mr.. Roosevelt and
Mr.. Moody believe that, despite the
seeming contrary feature of the law.
the President has the right to withhold
promotion from officers who have not
proved themselves worthy Of it. There
is reliable authority for the assertion
that if the present law is found to be
absolutely prokititory to the President S
selection policy, he will ask Congress to
remedy it.
Evil Of Appointment.
The attention of Secretary Moody was
first called TO what he conceived to be
the evil of appointment in making pro-
motion by seniority by the report of an
examining board in the case of an Of
ficer to command rank. While major
ity of the board recommended promo
tion, the other members thought that
the officer had not shown himself worthy
OF ii in every respect. Mr.. Moody talk
eu over the matter Win the PreSideDt
and IL was agreed that the officer con-
cerned should not be promoted until he
had made up the deficiencies charged
against him. Since then, Mr. Moody has
been making a careful inquiry into the
general subject OF eligibility for pro-
motion. From the Office of naval in
telligence he got the rules of all naval
powers with regard TO the advancement
of officers to command rank, and found
that every important nation except the
United States required that an officer
should not attain command unless he
had seen a certain amount OF sea SER
vice in the next lower grade. The rule
has been adopted by the Navy Depart
ment. but when it comes TO carrying 1t
out, the legal objections noted appear
to apply.
Capt. William Swift has been assign
ed to make a thorough investigation OF
the workings of the naval bureaus, navy
yards, and naval stations. He is to re-
port just what is being done, and how
many oficers are employed. On the re-
suit of his inquiry will depend the char
acter and extent Of Mr.. Moodys policy
to curtail the number of officers on shore
duty. He is also apparently of the opin-
icn that some of the ships and navy
yards can be combined thus reducing
expenses considerably.
DIICIMCCC esCN,c nIITIMH