The Washington times., 1909-05-07
FATE OF NEWBERRY
PLAN RESTS WITHIN
REPORT BY SPERRY
Secretary Meyer Is Given
Conclusions of Navy
Investigation.
INQUIRY RESULTS
ARE KEPT SECRET
Future Administration of Bureaus
Depends Upon RecoIhmenda-
tions Made.

By JAMES HAY, Jr.

Rear Admiral Sperry and his asso-
ciates. appointed by Secretary Meyer to
investigate the regulations Of the navy,
have completed their report and the
document will be handed TO Mr.. Meyer
in the near future.
In brief, the report passes on the
feasibility or nonfeasibility of che New
berry plan for governing sac navy yards
and other branches of the service, and
on II depends IN large measure whether
this Administration will continue or
drop the scheme in question or make
radical notifications in il. 1t pro-
nounces to be true or false the claim
fssat the Newberry plan is a direct blow
at the rights of the officers Of the line
Of the navy and initiates against ef-
ficiency IN the service.
The contents of the Sperry boards
repert have not been Made known, and
II Is a question as to whether the Sec
retary OF the Navy will publish the
document now or wait until later date
Mr. Meyer and the President have
held several conferences on naval af-
fairs recently, and the President has
let It be known that he intends, with
ths help OF Mr.. Meyer, to make a
thorough study OF the situation so far
as It concerns the organization and
efficiency of the service. In this study.
the report will be handled as one of the
principal guiding lights.
The Sperry Board.
The Sperry board consists Of:
Real Admiral Sperry, chairman; Rear
Admiral Mason, chief OF the Bureau OF
Ordnance; Rear Admirals Wainwright.
Potter, and Osterhaus, division COM
Inanders OF the Atlantic fleet; Rear Ad-
miral Cowles, chief of the Bureau Of
equipment; Rear Admiral Barton, for
mer chief of the Bureau of Steam En-
cheering; Chief Constructor Capps:
Rear Admiral Rogers, chief of the Bu-
reau OF Supplies and Accounts, and
Chief Of the Bureau Of Yards and Docks
HoIlyday
In a speech last night before the
American Society of Engineers, Reer
Admiral Melville. retired made a rsdi-
cal attack on the order Of former Sec
retary Newberry, which did away with
The old divisions OF authority In the
navy yards and put them virtually un-
der the control OF the Bureau of Con-
structton- The officers Of the line have
been deeply fncensed by the Newberry
plan, and the recent trouble in the
Ph1edelphia navy yard was the result
OF this discomfort The claim is widely
the line into such position that they
are prevented from having their rights
and from obtaining the schooling they
should have in operating the vessels.
1t Is, therefore, thought very timely
that the Sperry report has been finish
ed, and that the Secretary of the Navy
Win have II In hand within a short time
With that as a starting point the solu-
tion OF the disputes between the line
officers and the stan officers viii be at
tempted
No man In recent years has become
Secretary of the Navy under such aus
pic1ous ornens as has Mr. Meyer. The
whole personnel of the navy regards
him as eminenuy fitted to control its
policies, and he has already shown a
clearer knowledge OF naval Affairs and
problems than is usually the case with
man who take up the work pithopT
preliminary training.
II Is for this reason that the decision
OF the Secretary and the contents OF
the SpeTy boards report are awaited
With the greatest interest When THIS
decision will be reached It Is now i'm
possible 70 say, as II IS impossible to
tell what that decision will be The
gossip In navy circles is that the New
berry plan is doomed, but this gogsip.
shile indicating which way -he wind
blows, has Eot yet been authenticated.