The Cairo bulletin., 1905-10-16
STIR MADE IN
NAVAL CIRCLES
BY Admiral Dewey's Remarks on
Age OF Officers
.ENTHUSES YOUNG ONES
WHILE THE ELDER ARE DlSCON.
SoLATE-STEPs TAKEN TO
IMPROVE COMMANDS
FOR WARSHlPS.

WaSiliilSlOH ~. y. OclODef Ia M
val circles are agog over the recent
interview Of Admiral Dewey IN which
he said that as q rule, The officers Of
the American navy are too old for
their respective ranks. Almost with.
out exception the younger officers
heartily indorse the Admiral's views
on this important question. The older
officers, those who would be affected
| by such legislation as the General
Board expects TO recommend this fall,
arc NOT unanimously enthusiastic over
| it. This, of course, is not to be won
dered at because there is not an eld-
erly off Ger of the navy on the active
list who does not think he Is spry
enough for any kind of service, no mat
| ter how cnerous The appreciation OF
the younger officers is not at all un
natural inasmuch as they would be the
ones to be benefited Immediately by
the proposed legislation. But aside
from any question of personal interest
there IS a strong feeling prevalent at
the Navy Department that the condi-
tion complained OF by Admiral Dewey
should be ,remedied in some way.
The General Board of which the
Admiral Is the president, is preparing |
list Of al officers for the purpose of
showing that under the present sys-
tenn it is impossible to place young
men in command Of our warships. |
AS was stated last night the board |
is inclined to the opinion that a Cap |
tain who has has not reached the
grade of Rear Admiral at the age Of
IS years should be retired or assigned /
to proposed reserve list. It has been
figured out how old every Captain now
on the active list will be on July j,
1906 when any legislation that Is en-
acted by congress next winter will go
into effect There is not a single
Captain out of more than four score
who will not have passed the age of 50
by that time. The average age of
officers of this rank will be nearer
so than 55s The ages will run from
60 years and 8 months down to 50 and
months, although there is only one
who will not have reached the age of
Sc. Were the 55-year rule now in
effect there is not a Captain on the list
who would be in active service,
II has been tentatively proposed that
a Commander who has NOT reached the
rank of Captain by the age of so years
should also be retired or placed on n
reserve list. OF more than 100 Com {
manders now on the active list there
are not more than a dozen who will I
be under 80 years on July /, 1906. Most {
Of the Commanders will be more than ]
50 years of age, and some as high as q
56, 81 and 5S AS for Lieutenant Com J
there is a large percentage II
who would be eligible to promotion to I
the rank Of Commander If the limit a
Of ij years were fixed. Most of the Y
officers Of this grade will be under As I
years on July l.. 1906. The average !
age of the Rear Admirals on that date /
will be over GO and nearer 81 years {
OF course II is not proposed by the {
General Board to have complete I
wedding out of officers who have pass q
ed the several ages suggested as dis
qualifying Them for active service. I
Such scheme would cripple the navy :
But the reform, if agreed to by con- /
gress. win have 10 be introduced grad n
lally and the elimination will have (
10 begin at the top. The General !
Board will have a large amount of data {
10 present to Secretary Bonaparte on {
his subject in a short time. so that he
will be able to treat it in his annual
report to the president before congress
assemblies. {