The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-12-27
.B0NAPARTE MAKES REPORT
Secretary Of the Navy, Issues His
First Annual Message. "
HEAVY BATTERIES ARE UPHELD

tween Russia and Japan From y Ma
val Observation-Disclosures of the Sew
eraI Bureaus of the Department Under
His Supervisors
Washington, D. Gu ffty-two
closely printed pages MI. Bonaparte.
Secretary of the Navy, submitted his
first annual report to the President
and Congress. He. said he had not
to recount in detail the opera
tons of his department. in the past
year, but limited himself to pointing
out questions of special interest de-
handing the attention of Congress.
He advocates the consolidation of the
Bureaus of Yards and Docks, Con-
struction and Repair, Equipment and
Steam Engineering. lie insists that,
after all, these four bureaus deal pri-
marily with the ships of the navy,
and that they ought to constitute new
divisions in one great bureau.
In like manner he holds that the
Bureaus Of Navigation, Medicine and
Surgery, the Marine Corps, the Office
of the Judge Advocate General and
the Naval Academy are all concerned
with the same general subject, namely
the personnel of the Navy, and that
they ought to be consolidated under
one head. He finds that the Bureau
of Supplies and Accounts is practi-
cally in four departments, carrying
with it the Bureau of Ordnance, and
this he thinks ought to become n
departmental organization.
. In the higher grade of the Navy ser
vice he thinks the expansion Of the
service ought to be recognized by the
creation Of two vice admirals, OF
whom the senior would command the
Atlantic feet and the junior the ships
in Asiatic waters. In taking notice
of the age question, in promoting Off
GERS to rank, he does not agree with
the apprehension expressed that a
man of sixty in the Navy is not as
good as a man of forty to command,
when an emergency arises; that, while
his physical strength may be lessened,
a man of sixty, fitted for the service.
has probably led a healthful life and
has much less tendency to nervous
exhaustion than one of the same age
in commercial pursuit.
Tfe comedies, however, that it is q
hardship under existing circumstances
that, certain well-itted men cannot
reasonably expect to become captains
until a comparatively we'll advanced
age, and as q measure of rs:ief he
suggests the establishment of the
grade Of commodore and the promo
ton of from twelve to sixteen of the
oldest captains to this rank. This
would lead to the promotion. of 4 like
number of commanders to captains;
of lieutenant commanders to be COM
manderS and of lieutenants to be lieu
tenant commanders.
The disaster to the United States
steamship Bennington, he admits, has
led to many suggestions for more COM
petent engineer officers in the Navy.
The provisions of the personnel bill
are based upon the theory that a line
officer of the Navy must be a COM
petent machinist just as in the days
Of sailing vessels. He would over
come the present difficulty by organic
ing a service of marine engineers for
shore duty only, corresponding to the
civil engineers now employed ut naval
stations. From these could be re-
cruited graduates from the best
schools of engineering in the country,
and after a brief apprenticeship IN
navy yards they would be qualified
to replace officers retired, and prevent
any alarming scarcity of competent
men in the Engineering Bureau.
On the increase in the Navy he
points. out that within the last two
years impressive lessons have been
learned from the wal between Russia
and Japan and that the substance OF
this lesson is that morale and gun
merry being equal, victory will fall to
the heavier battery; that torpedo craft
and mines have a real, although some
what restricted, field of usefulness;
that superior speed is Of value In a
fleet not merely because it enables the
avoidance of battle, but because it is
q source of strength in actual conflict;
that while there may be some differ-
ence Of opinion as to the value OF
armored cruisers that there can be
none as to the value Of battleships
except in respect of size. The depart
ment, he says. is in conflict as to the
value of 10000 and $4,000 ton battle
ships and after carefully weighing the
divergent views he is not clear that
any suficiency can be obtained which
much more money must be expended
in increasing the size of battleships
beyond the plans laid out for the con.
struction of the South Carolina and
Michigan. They will cost ST.
500, 900 each, while those suggested by
the General Board Of increased size,
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