The Washington herald., 1909-02-01
WASTE IN THE NAVY.
How the Bureau System Operates 10
Divide Responsibility.


Divide ResponsibiIfty.
Fron sDeech By Representative Albert F. Dszsoa.
IN the HOuss.
An inherent defect in the present sys-
TEN Of naval administration IS the bureau
system as It stands under existing law.
President Roosevelt in his iast annual
message stated it tersely when he said
that there is literally no excuse what
ever for continuing the present bureau
organization Of the navy"
This organization consists Of eight SEP
arate and distinct bureaus. each independ-
ent and supreme IN itself It is proper
that there should be a natural division
Of the work Of this great department, but
I can see no defense Of a law which pro-
,vides that
The orders ot the chief OF bureau shall
be construed as emanating from the Sec
retaTy of the Navy, and shall have fun
force and effect as such.
The clause practically sets I'D eight
Independent secretaries OF the navy. each
supreme IN his division OF naval duties.
The tendency OF the system Is 70 place
the interest OF the bureau above the
interest Of the navy as a whole. Fur
thermore. this independence has deprived
the government Of the benefit OF the in
ventive genius Of the country not found
within tbe bureaus themselves.
The baneful defects Of the existing sys-
TEN have shown themselves IN many d.
reeti0ns. IN the question Of the design
o. ships. We have recently witnessed TIE
entire navy engaged IN a fierce discus
sioh OF the armOr-belt lire. Without et-
tempting to say which side was correct
IN It's contentious. il must be apparent
that the efficiency Of the navy. its dis
cipiine. and its fighting spirit Is IN no
way promoted by these unseemly internal
strifes.
The general public regarded this as a
controversy between the bureau advo-
Gates on one side defending their actions.
and on the other side the line officers
e. the navy-tlle men who must be the
ones 10 use these weapons IN the national
defense.
We see it in the movement Of ships. A
recent issue OF the Literary Digest re-
Iates that not long ago the captain OF a
battle ship received orders from one bu-
reau 70 sail from a navy yard al once.
while at the same time he was threatened
with cOurt-nartial by another sUreau If
he did so.
IN the equipment OF ships we find many
examples Of conflicts Of authority IN
natural and Gnbusinesslike division OF
duties and functions. with The consequent
delays and extrsvag ances which newt
ably follow
Can any one defend system where the
installation OF the fre-control apparatus
on a war ship IS divided Up among three
separate and distinct bureaus
Is il businesslike 10 have the engines
and pumps OF a ship under the juTisdic-
ton Of one bureau. while the steam pipes
leading 10 them. ana necessarily an IN
tegraI part OF them. are under the con-
troll OF another bureau
We have seen the wastefulness Of the
system best exempiifed in the repair OF
ships as conducted by navy yards With
each bureau not only independent By law.
but separately provided by Congress with
its own appropriation. there grew Up al
each navy yard not g single well-dsveI-
oped plant. but in reality each bureau
was building up at the several yards its
own Independent plant with separate
buildings, machinery. and Workmen-
At these navy yards were three Or four
carpenter shops. as many pattern shops,
paint shops. blacksmith shops. and so
forth No business man would tolerate
such a condition for a moment "a its
wastefulness and extravagsnce are plain