Omaha daily bee., 1905-12-05
BOSApAUTE MAKES REPORT
Secretary Of Navy Asks for sl2l, $685.
7lal2 for Expenses for Next Year.
Nor lN tMOR Of LNRsLR 8ATILLsHPs
recommends the Appointment OF Two
vice AdmiraIs and Promotion, of
= Number OF Captains 10
CommOdOres.

WARRINGTON, Dec. 4.--The annual re-
port OF the secretary Of the navy was sent
10 congress today. IL reviews the work
~ the department for the year and asks
for an appropriation Of Sl2l,565, ~, an In
crease of over S1l.OO0.0O0 over last year.
The report says in part:
Successful and efficient administration.
end indeed good government In all its as
Iccts depends In greater degree. on the
PERSONAL qualities OF the public servants
employed than on the system under which
they work. Good men will secure good
results under a bad system, although at
The cost Of greater effort and greater ex-
pense than under a good one, but no sys-
lem. however good. will secure SATISFACTORY
My experience In this department has con-
WINGED me that its work is done, on tne
whole. with great fidelity and marked efii-
fruits. not OF the system but or the high
scharacter.f both with respect TO Integrity
and with respect TO competency OF the
officers employed.
IA Two Vice Admirals.
r think the efficiency Of the navy would
De promoted and It's great expansion. both
i9 size ard IN sphere q action, rather ,i M ~
two vice sadniirBls, of whom the senior
would. under ordinary circumstances, COM
inand the Atlantic feet and the junior the
rect maintained in Asiatic waters. The
rank Of theee OTHERS would correspond to
that OF officers holding commands OF the
and is fully iustifed by the magnitude Of
the Interests to be intrusted to their care.
II this suggestion. be accepted, 1 would FUR
Their recommend that the number of rear
admirals be reduced by two. so that the
additional expense 0nconsiderablc at mosO
would become altogether trifiing
There has been much discussion of late
b. In the press and elsewhere as to the adj
vanced age at which officers Of our navy
attain Command rank think the appre-
tensions expressed in some quarters as TO
their probable inefficlency for this reason
in actual warfare are probably without
sufficient foundation. Doubtless man is
as well fitted for command at 40 as he
ever win become. but provided he retain
his health. he will probably remain for the
next twenty years of his life about as well
fitted for this purpose as he then was.
Undoubtedly his physical strength will be
lessened but II must be remembered that
naval officers II they avoid intemperance,
lead far more healthful life, with much
less tendency to nervous exhaustion, than
men OF the same age in commercial pur-
suits or the learned professions In civil
life.
the comparatively advanced age at which.
under existing circumstances, an officer
can reasonably expect 10 become a captain
is a hardship % the commissioned per-
sonnet and undesirable In the general in
terest of the service As means of afford
ing some measure of Immediate relief
suggest the re-establishment of the grade
OF commodore and the promotion of from
twelve to sixteen OF the oldest captains 10
this rank. OF course this would lead to the
promotion OF the like number of COM
manders TO be captains, OF lieutenant com