Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-05
WOULDREPL LACE SHIPS
Annual Report Of the Secre-
tary Of the Navy.
EFFICIENCY SOUGHT
FAvoRs ABANDONING oUT-oF-
DATE VESSELS.
Plans Submitted for the Reorganiza-
ton Of Routine Improvement Of
the Engineer Service.
EFFICIENCY SOUGHT

| Secretary Bonaparte's first annual report
| to the President in regard to the navy is a
| decided innovation. It Is different from
| the ordinary run OF such documents and is
/ remarkable for Its frank and free discus
| sion Of naval affairs 1t Is throughout
| strikingly original document. and bears the
I impress of strong individuality, notably
/ where Secretary Bonaparte takes radical
| issue with naval experts as to the special
needs Of the service in the number and type
i of new ships.
| In the outset Secretary Bonaparte says
| he makes no attempt to recount In detail
| the operations of the department or OF the
navy, but limits himself to indicating what
| seems to him points of special interest and
| importance demanding the attention OF tne
President and Of Congress He makes
| number Of radical recommendations. in
| GLIDING one for the reorganization of the
| Navy Department.
''My experience in this department" says
| Secretary Bonaparte, has convinced me
| that It's work Is done. on the whole, with
| great fidelity and marked efficiency; but
consider these results the fruits not of the
| system but of the high character, both with
respect to integrity and with respect to
| competency, of the officers employed. The
system Of autonomous bureaus seems to me
| open In theory. to very serious objection,
and TT Is in practice attended with some
measure Oh ITlCtlOn, INSTRUMENTATION anu uS-
lay. Nevertheless, routine has been de-
veoped under 1t to which the department
and the service are accustomed and which
tsCould not be materially or suddenly changed
without considerable embarrassment to
public business and consequent waste of
public money. Moreover, as already stated,
the work of the department is, on the
whole, done well. even remarkably well; and
| before deciding upon any changes In an
organization which fulfills its purposes we
should feel a reasonable certainty that
these changes will prove improvements. I
do not advise, therefore, any immediate
changes In the organization Of the depart
ment. but I think the legislative branch of
the government may with advantage con-
slider the ACCESSIBILITY of reducing the num-
Der OF bureaus and redistributing their
work. To this end I submit the following
tentative suggestions:
Proposed Reorganization.
1.-THE four bureaus of yards and docks.
construction and repair, equipment and
steam engineering all deal, in last resort,
with the same subject matter; that is to
say, the ships Of the navy. If they consti-
tlrted mere divisions of one great bureau
or sub-department. I believe this change
would tend toward unity of direction, in
creased efficiency and the elimination OF
discussion and delay. In like manner the
bureaus of navigation and medicine and
surgery, the Marine Corps, the office of the
Academy are all concerned with the same
general subject, namely, the1personnel of
the navy: and this group Of organizations
could be. in my judgment, consolidated
under one head with the like advantage,
retaining, of course, their individual organ
ization under this general supervision
The bureaus of ordnance and OF supplies
and accounts would not form a part log
icaily of either Of these two groups: IL
they were left as at present there would
be four subdivisions of the departments
dealing. respectively, with men, ships, arm
ament and supplies, an arrangement GER
tafnly more symmetrical and as It seems
to me, more promising than the present
l should, however, recommend that, in any
scheme of reorganization, the bureau OF
supplies and accounts should be termed the
bureau OF supplies and payments, the part
OF its work referring strictly to accounts to
be attached to the immediate Office Of the
Secretary. AS already stated submit these
observations without recommending any
present action on the subject except its
careful consideration by the appropriate
committees Of the Congress, with q view to
the development Of a weil-digested scheme
OF departmental reorganization"
Would Restore Grade Of Commodore.
Secretary Bonaparte says he thinks the
efficiency OF the navy would be promoted
and Its great expansion both In size and
in sphere OF action. rather inadequately rec
ognized by the creation of two vice admit
rails OF whom the senior would. under ordi-
nary circumstances, command the Atlantic
fleet and the junior the fleet maintained in
Asiatio waters. If that suggestion be ac-
cepted, the Secretary recommends that the
number of rear admirals be reduced by
two. Although he does not think the ap-
prehension expressed In some quarters as
to the probable inefficiency of officers of
command rank on account of age we'll found
ed, he suggests as means of affortiine
some measure of immediate relief the re-
establishment Of the grade Of commodore
and the promotion of from twelve to six
teen OF the oldest captains to that rank
That would lead to the promotion of the
like number Of commanders to be captains,
of lieutenant commanders to be command
ers and of lieutenants to be lieutenant COM
manders.
To obviate Etagnation.
'The foregoing suggestion says Secre-
tary Bonaparte, '1ooks merely to obviating
a temporary stagnation in promotion. To
permanently attain the end in view some
more far-reaching and comprehensive meas
ure must be adopted. The one generally
suggested is to reduce the age Of compul-
sorry retirement according to the rank of
the officer to be retired. l entertain con-
siderable repugnance toward any such
measure, which, as II seems to me- might
involve hardship for many deserving off,
GERS. I recommend to your serious con-
sideration and that OF the Congress more
radical measure, whereby every officer who
has served, say, five years, in one grade
shall be either promoted to the next higher
grade or dropped from the service. IL an
ensign or lieutenant, or else compulsorily
retired If he has attained command rank,
and the number In each grade shall not be
fixed by law, but left to depend upon the
number Of officers found qualified. Such a
measure would be. If not without prece-
dent, at least novel. and at first sight 1t
might seem to involve undue expense. I
believe, however. that Its cost would prove
much less than may be feared: and. with
out advising immediate action in this d.
rection, feel that 1t deserves attention and
discussion"
The Engineer Question.
Promising a chapter on the engineers and
the personnel bill with the statement that
he does not share all the views OF the engt-
neer- in-chief on that general subject, Sec
rotary Bonaparte says that by the adoption
of the personnel act "a definite policy was
inaugurated which cannot now be reversed
or modified without embarrassment and an
impairment of confidence in the department
both within and without the service"
The Secretary discusses this question
In connection with the deplorable accident
on the gunboat Bennington, and says: Il
believe that with thoroughgoing and per-
severing application OF the law, and the
CONSEQUENT assignment to engineering duty