New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-12-05
THE COUNTRY'S WARSHIPS
N4VYDEP4RTHENT WORK
Secretary Boiaaparte Says 1t Shoes
Great Promise for Security of Nation


Washington, Dec. z-The annual report of the
Secretary Of the Navy Charles J. Bonaparte' be-
gins with discussion OF the organization OF the uo
partment. He says of this:
Successful and efficient administration and indeed
good government in all its aspects, oepehSeS -
public servants employed than on the system under
when they work Good men VIII se a. the cost of
greater effort and greater expense than mnoeI q
satisfactcry results if administered BY unworthy
men Ny experience in this department naS With
great fidelity and marked efficiency but Gons s fS
high character both with respect integrity ana
with respect to competency, OF the oniceiS ei
The system of autonomous bureaus seems to me
open in theory to very serious objection ana II Is
in practice attended with some measure of friction
ercqmlocution and delay Neverthedeess, depsrt
and the service are accustomed and wh .tf
out considerable eInbarrassnent to public business
and consequent waste of public money: Moreover
the whole. done well. even remarkably well; ana
t he5or9 ih E G frs any nrposes We should feel
reasonable certainty that these changes Will prove
improvements. 1 do not advise therefore, any I'M
mediate changes in the organization Of the depart
eminent may with advantage consider the adpi visa
bility Of reducing the number of bureaus ana reds-
tribritine their work.
THE HIGHER GRADES
I think the efficiency of the navy would be pro-
noted and its great expansion, both in size and
in sphere of action. rather inadequately recognized
Senior you'd under Ordinary be 5aT 5 e
Inand the AslahIe meet ana t T 9u 0Ir OF these
officers would correspond to that of officers hold
FoTeisn naves and is fully justified by the magni-
Jude of the interests tc be ntrusted 10 their care
If this suggestion be accepted would further rec
omrrend that the number of rear admirals be re-
duced by two. that the additional expense On
considerable at most would become altogether
trifiing
press and elsewhere as TO the advanced age at
he
tiers as to their probable ine1cency for this rea-
Gent foun t Doubtless man is as Well fitted
for command at forty as he ever viii 6eGome P but
main for the next twenty years Of his Ire ABOUT
1ndoTbediv his physical Strength viii be lessened.
but must be remembered that naval ofticerS. II
life, with much less tendency TO nervous exhaMs-
ton than men Of the same age IN comme 1c pur
Nevertheless, ii must be admitted that the com
circumstances. an officer can reasonably expect TO
become a captain is hardship to the commissioned
personnel and undesirable in the general interest
of the service As a means of affording some meas
IRE OF m f ra Fe 6ngget and the pro-
motion from twelve to sixteen of the Oldest cap
the promotion of the like number of commanders
10 be captains, Of lieutenant commanders 10 ne
commanders. and of lieutenants to be lieutenant
commanders.
ENGINEERS AND THE PERSONNEL BILL
The deporable disaster to the United States
ninsTed diseIsson as to the merits of the act of
1899 generally known as the Personnel bill and
more or more Competent engineer oflcers for the
navy This subject is discussed in the report OF the
engineer in chief which l respectfully invite
YOUR attention / trust his views will receive the
from the Congress | must add however, that DO
share these views. although 1 recognize fully
serious situation which he very accurately de-
1t must be promised in any discussion OF this sub
sect that the question is not whether the Per
ne problems with which it sought to deal By the
adoption of that act definite policy was lnaugu5
without embarrassment and impairment of con
the service. These objections to a change are not
indeed. decisive. If it be clear that mistake has
take are likely to be disastrous the mistake should
lie S3y dSGb 4H We may rembeF With Vi adVantag
that change of policy is in itself an evil
The provisions of the Personnel bill in SO far as
they affect the eng9eeTs are based upon the theory
that line o1cer OF the navy must now pc com
vessels line officer of the navy had to be COM
ships are only the largest among multitude by
Centilated lighted heated and fought and an officer
IN charge Of any division Of warship must now be
plated by this act make every line officer
gineer and also every engineer officer line officer
and experience with its working has not indicated
any insuperabe difficulty in attaining these ends,
provided the law is administered with fxity of pur-
pose and total disregard of prejudice
THE ENLISTED PERSONNEL.
In the estimates a SIS, submitted by the Bureau Of
addition of 5000 men to the enlisted personnel of
the navy. This is indispensable 10 provide proper
compliments for the ships which will be in com
Eaisson so fer as can now be foreseen, during the
fiscal year 1850, and | strongly recommend this
recruited up 70 the complement now allowed by
some quarters that this fact due to aversion to
the service among our population is altogether
nth. In the first place the attempts made to secure
persistent and secondlV Of those desiring 10 Enlist
only little more than one-fourth have been
been kept exceptionally and, perhaps, in some re-
spects unnecessarily high and the services of
variabIy refused, that the percentage of Amer
and may be said that for practical purposes the
corps Of petty officers is now composed exclusively
an urgent need Of recruits for the navy. believe
Of excellent QUALITY The departrnent Wishes aT
thority however. to secure as many first class men
appropriation requested snail prove unnecessarily
age, mere %lI De no less 70 Ihe government
tracted considerable attention OF late, and various
Of the evil For the most part these suggestions
have the defect of not being based on full knowl-
more assertions than there should be from the
alarming proportions and most of the SUGGESTED
remedies would prove, in all probability, either
sertion IS in my opinion, due substantially to two
are and always will be insists unsuitable either
Poyment in the navy peseon n Such f0r cases
indicates an appreciation Of this fact on their part
affected by it. process of healthful excretion
When, however a ship loses men with good
records in any considerable numbers from this
cause: the fault. in my judgment, is usually with
the officers some among them. 1t
Is often said that military discipline is rksome
Americans but doubt the accuracy of this broad
statement The intelligence of the we enlist
enables thef 10 the necessity for strict subor-
dination ana unquestioning obedience in a mill
tary organization, especially board ship, but
this Intelligence renders them critical as to
the conduct and demean9r OF their superiors, and
the part of the latter.
In addition TO the foregoing two causes of de-
sertion. certain number of Will occur where