Los Angeles herald., 1907-07-21
NAVY PERSONNEL

A baldheaded naval officer in the
British navy, on being "chaffed" for
his lack of hair by the king, replied:
"Your majesty, 1 was made bald by
so many younger men being promoted
over my head"
And it is recorded he obtained pro-
motion by his wit that was denied to
his worth.
Our navy personnel BILL with it's at
tendant "curlicues,' reminds one of
that good story. When war was a
paymasters and medical men were
known as staff officers, and might not
wear a star on their sleeves, the star
being reserved to the line officers, or
those who cared for the ship from the
bridge. The grade of the staff officer
was then known by his profession, as
for instance, first, second or third
assistant, or chief engineer, pay in
spectors, pay directors, etc, and these
things caused heart-burnings and jeal-
ousies, for no one of these men had
passed through the Annapolis school,
and the aristocracy of the Zine" Off
GERS put ban on them.
AS spars and sails and in a measure,
seamanship, departed from the navy,
and machinery took their places, 1t
became necessary to have competent
men to handle the latter, and to even
up matters the same grade and stand
ing. was made for all departments of
off ~ N -.
department is known by rank alone.
Line officers go into the engine room
and engineers go on the bridge
II will be recalled that in the Ben
nington disaster it was sought to place
the blame on the commander of the
ship. Under the old rule it must have
rested on the chief engineer. 1t is
mixed mess and would not challenge
attention but for the recent decision
of the powers at Washington to remove
certain captains from command of bat
tleships in the voyage around the con-
tinent. for no other reason than that
the retiring age-62 years-would be
reached by them in a short time, and
younger men would get so much more
experience in handling the big ships
before they must retire. To the lay
man this sounds like good business
method, but to the line OFFICER who has
lived in an atmosphere of aristocracy
for forty years, in which seniority was
law, it must be the limit"
Il may not be poetic, but it is justice,
nevertheless, to the younger officers
and to the people, and though it defies
all precedent and outrages the strin-
gent law of seniority it is welcomed
by all but the few displaced officers,
and the other few likely to follow them.
Promotion, in the naval service es-
has ever been slow, and men
who have attained command and flag
rank through seniority generally have
passed the stage of competency, and
barred ADLER men from advancement.
Recently Lieutenant Jungeu resigned
from the service with a most honor
able record, solely, as he said Be
cause 1 cannot await promotion and
support my family" He now has
charge of the business of a great
steamship line, with four times the
pay he could get in the service.
Whatever the new personnel bill may
call for in the navy it will be accept
able to the people if it will lift officers
to command rank at 40 years of age,
giving them and the country the best
period in their lives in it's service. |
The Herald agrees with Admiral
from the law of promotion by seniority |
in all grades should be ruthlessly cut
out and men of promise and achieve
ment advanced to responsible rank
before age checks their powers.