Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-03-11
CHANGE Is DELAYED
OPPOSITION TO TRANSFERS OF
NAVY BUREAUS.
Allotment Of Rooms in Mills Building
and Encouragement in War De-
partment Building.

The Secretary of the Navy recently ap-
pointed a board, consisting Of Rear Ad-
miral ]. r. Bartlett. re tired: Capt q. w..
Baird, u. S. N, and Mr.. b. F. Peters,
chief clerk of the department, to consider
questions connected With the assignment
of quarters in the new naval annex in the
Mills building and the distribution OF moor
space thus vacated in the main building.
The board submitted Its report to Secre-
tary Moody yesterday morning, and It was
expected that the allotment Of rooms would
be made before the Secretary left the city
In the afternoon. Owing. however. to- a
serious difference of opinion between some
Of the bureau chiefs regarding the proposed
sllotments. the Secretary was unable TO
dispose of the matter and turned 1t over to
Assistant Secretary Darling, who Is acting
secretary during the formers absence in
the West Indies.
Allotment of Rooms.
According to the plan Of the special board
the rooms In the Mills building were al
loted as follows:
The basement and the first. second and
third floors to the photographic Office; the
fourth floor to Admiral Dewey, the general
board. the board of inspection and survey
and the examining and retiring boards: the
fifth floor to the bureau OF yards and docks
the bureau OF medicine and surgery and the
naval pay office; the seventh floor to the
headquarters Of the Marine Corps the
eighth floor was left open for expansion and
further consideration.
Floor Space Vacated.
The floor space In the Navy Department
building to be vacated by the transfers
above mentioned was allotted as follows:
Transfer the bureau of equipment to the
rooms vacated by the bureau Of medicine
and surgery on the first floor. and to part
of the space ON the basement floor, vacated
by the photographic office; assign the re-
mainder of the space vacated ON the base
ment floor to the bureau of construction
and repair, and assign the rooms vacated
by the bureau OF equipment to the overflow
OF the bureau Of ordnance and the bureau
OF steam engineering, and assign the rooms
vacated by the bureau Of yards and docks
to the overflow of the bureau Of supplies
and accounts
Governing Considerations.
In making these allotments the board re-
ported that 1t was governed by the fol-
lowing considerations:
To relieve the congestion of the various
bureaus and offices of the Navy Department
by any assignment of rooms that will not
give at least a promise of several years
OF permanency to a majority of the bu-
reaus and offices does not seem desirable or
business like, and particularly so when
there Is at the disposal of the depart
ment a sufficient number of well-lighted
and otherwise suitable rooms.
ITO divide the integral parts of the force
OF bureau by assigning for its use rooms
In separate buildings seriously interferes
with the expeditions execution of work and
II unnecessarily inconvenient and expen-
stve. The only practicable way which pre-
sents itself of obviating the above condi-
lions is to transfer two Of the bureaus to
the Mills building.
Transfer of Two Bureaus
'The chiefs OF bureaus who are members
Of the board of construction are Of neces-
sity compelled to consult frequently regard
ing the details Of the designs Of vessels,
their machinery, armor and armament and
equipment.
1.-The bureau of navigation, more fire.
Quently than any other bureau, has occa-
sion to consult with the Secretary, and the
paymaster general Is daily consulted times
without number by every bureau In the de-
partment as to appropriations, accounts and
contracts. There remain but two bureaus,
medicine and surgery and yards and DOCKS
both OF which could be wholly accommo-
dated with pleasant. modern offices In the
Mills building, and both Of which Of neces-
sity, under any arrangement to be made,
have offices under their Jurisdiction as
signed to the Mills building