The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-11-28
Department Is Urged by the
Swift Board to Have Ships
Built and Repaired by Prac-
ticaI Naval Men.
ADVISES EVERYTHING
UNDER ONE CONTROL
Changes Are a Victory for the
Younger Element of Service
Who Criticised Construc-
ton Plans Used.

washington. D. c.. Nov. 27.-The
United States Navy is to be reorganiz-
ed from the newest leviathan of the
'Dreadnought" type to the armored
cruiser and auxiliaries.
Mfsfits, such as the Connecticut the
armor belt of which is said to be al
most entirely below the water line
will henceforth be impossible
The fleets Of the world power of the
Western hemisphere are to become act
ually the nations asset of pride on the
seas instead of on the blue prints of
bureaucratic experts. many of whom
winds in their notrils
In short politics is to be removed
from the management of naval bu-
reaus and ship yards and fighting ships
are to be built under the supervision
of the men who fight them instead of
along the plans of civilians and politi-
Clans
Best System in World Planned.
The Swift board, named months ago
to go to the bottom of the naval stu
alton in the United States and bring
out every fault, is about to make its
report. The navy department has
not yet learned that it is due for re-
construction.
Not since the Spanish war revealed
the weakness of the American militia
ry establishment and the subsequent
drastic reorganization which Elihu
Root, then secretary of war. succeed
ed in bringing about, has there appear
ed a more general upheaval of the Or
ganization of the fighting forces of a
world power than Is foreshadowed in
the Swift board report. The board
has reached it's verdict that the navy
department must be reconstructed, aft
err studying the systems of control in
the admiralties of all the great ma
tions.
The advisory board idea, for in
stance. is borrowed from the British
admiralty and the plan to put young
men in control and have the fighters
decide what kind of ships to build is
taken from the German system. In
cluded in the report is demand for Il
thorough reorganization of the navy
yard administration.
Younger Element Wins Fight.
These are issues for which the
younger element of the navy has
fought for so long in congress and out.
before senate naval committees and
before the public inspired articles in
tending to be informing to the mass
of people.
For months these insurgents" and
all the rest of the navy have been
awaiting the outcome of the deliber-
atoms of the board. The conclusions
of the board are guarded with the
greatest care that the navy depart
ment has ever exercised in maintain
ing the secrecy of report. But. it
was learned today, the insurgents"
have won.
The crux Of the struggle lay in the
effort to limit the functions of the
various bureaus and to eliminate the
notorious lack Of coordination among
these eight separate and independent |
kingdoms-each endowed with an au-
thority equal to that of the secretary
of the navy, and at times exercising If |
in a different direction.
Gain Every Essential Point.
So it was that the fight of the lin
surgents' centered about the "sys- !
tenn Their chief efforts were to sep |
arate the administrative from the ad- |
visory bodies. to separate both from |
politics, to relegate the long dominant. |
ever autocratic bureau of construction |
to the subordinate capacity of merely |
CIR mi VII nj rfa hp
finishing of these tools in the way that |
those who have to use them in battle
insist on having them finished.
The 'insurgents" have won every |
essential point for which they had |
fought. The power of the bureaus is |
curtailed and by the establishment of |
an advisory body. coordination of
such little power that has been left the
bureaus is assured. Nor does the re-
form stop here.
But while the reform in navy yard |
administration is conspicuously i'm
portant it is in the establishment of an
advisory body that the insurgents"
have won their most signal triumph.
1t is recommended that this body be
composed Of officers of tested ability,
whose sole duty it will be to keep in
close touch with naval progress
throughout the world and when con-
gress authorizes an increase in the nav
al establishment. to decide upon the
leading features of the vessel to be
constructed.
1t is not known by what name this
advisory board will be called if. in
fact. any name has been selected. But
1t is understood that its functions will
be almost identical with those of the
British admiralty. To make this
clear to the reader. it may be said that
when this senior sea power finds it
advisable to add to its naval strength
it turns to it's admiralty for advice on
type and number. This body, COM
posed OF the most eminent officers of
the service. will say. for example. that
to have a battle-ship superior to any
other, the new one must carry so manyl