The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-11-30
BIG REFORMS IN ! NAVAL AFFAIRS Secretary Meyer Announces
 Shake-up. SUBoRDNAIE BUREAU CHIEF  Department Made Into Four Gen
 efal Divisions. Msst Sweeping Change since Estab- ashment of Bureau system in ls4a swn se rnausurated ,. December i--Resuit of
 Investigating Boards
 Reperts.
 .
SUBORDNAIES BUREAU CHIEF

2
 washington. Nov .2s,--EIeeding the cry for reform in naval affairs, Sec retary Meyer. day after temofrow. will inaugurate the most sweeping changes in the navy department since the establishment of the bureau .sys- fem in 1s42. Himself a director of banks and manfactvring companies in New England in times past, he popes to put the department on business basis beyond the dreams of predeces- sors. The keynotes of his reform IS the subordinaticn of the bureau chieI of the past.
 summarized. the essential changes in the Meyer plan are;
 The selection of four responsible ao- visers on subjects within the four groups into which duties of the ae- partment fall, to be known as the aide for material, the aide for per sonnel. the aide for operation of the fleet and tho aide for inspections.
 Grouping of the bureaus Into the two divisions of material and per. sonnel according to the> nature or
 The establishment of a division or operations for the fleet.
 Establishment of comprehensive inspection system.
 Establishment of a modern and ef- fcent cost Keeping system Tn the navy department and at the navy yards.
 Separate Navy Yard Work.
 Separation of navy yard worK into two divisions of hulls and machinery.
 Abolishment of the board of con- struction.
 Abolishment of the bureau of equip ment.
 Henceforth the officers who fight the ships are to have more influence in the navy department.
 Chosen men from among them are to, be the official eyes and ears of the secretary, laden with full responsibi- fifty for their reports. but not his hands. The secretary will retain his administrative and executive power for his own exercise and that of the assistant secretary of the navy.
 All the reforms go into effect Dec enber except the abolishing of the bureau of equipment which Congress alone can do.
 The aide for operation of the fleet will be Rear Admiral Ricnard wain wright, commander of the Third Di- vision of the Atlantic fleet; the aide for DsEsennels.ssR Admiral w. F. Potter 5npw chief of the bureau of navigation; the aide for material will be Rear Admiral Swift, commandant of the Boston navy yard. and the aide for Inspection will be Captain Aaron Ward. recently supervisor of the New York harbor who will be- come rear admiral on January 9.
 Captain Reginald k. Nicholson, a member of the board of inspection and survey will be made the chief of the bureau of navigation. vice-Potter.
 Many Boards Investigate.
 The Sperry board was created to report how the various conflicting orders and regulations of former Sec retary Newberfy's uncompleted re- forms could be recenciled. Then came the Leptze board which was asked to make recommenda tions concerning the consolidation of the bureau of steam engineering with other bureaus a step undertaken by Secretary Newberry. Finally secretary Meyer appointed the Swift board to consider the reports of the other boards and to make recommendations for the int- provement of the business methods or the department. With these reports as basis Secretary Meyer has evoI- we'd his plan for reform.
 The secretary found that the bureaus of the department were in- dependent of one another and that lie must decide all the difference between them. The aides are to advise them [ on these points.
 According to the Meyer plan, the board of construction becomes use less and therefore will be abolished.
 Under the Meyer plan, the operating branch. which deals directly with the military use of the fleet. will ori- ginate the military features of new construction in consultation with the general board. of which the new aide 4raAo xwrf1I l.s Other officers will also, be called in. for advice and criticism. both before and after the sketch plans have been prepared by the technical bureaus. These officers will be selected because of pronounced success in ordnance, engineering or torpedo practice work
 With the growth of the business of the department. Secretary Meyer found that duties similar to those of the equipment bureau were performed by the bureaus of supplies and &C., counts, construction and repair and by the steam engineering division. In this connection 1t is to be noted that Rear Admiral ". S. Cowles, brother in-law of Former President Roosevelt, is now the head of the equipment bureau.
 At the navy yards Mir. Meyer has de- cided to divide the single manufac- turing department established by Mir. Newberry into two divisions-one of machinery and the other of hulIs- according with the general practice in ship building establishments in this country and with the naval dock yards of England and Germany.
 The existing bureau of yards and docks, the marine corps and certain others branches of the department. not logically included In any on of