The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-12-13
Secretary Meyers Announcement
of Naval Changes Stirs
0ffiCiaIdom.
DETAILS OF NEW PROGRAM
Board of Construction Abolished
Methods of Handling Bust
ness Altered.
BY Ernest G.. Walker.

mail Special to The Advertiser.)
WASHINGTON, November 2S.-The
pew scheme for the administration of
the Navy goes into effect this week
and accordingly there is a great hub
hub in the department. Secretary
Meyer has promulgated regulations
modifying the government of navy
yards and materially changing methods
of handling business in his Office and
in the office of the bureaus.
And while the machinery of the
Navy is being rapidly adjusted to the
new order of things, the tongues of
thousands of naval officers are wagging
and congressman are taking note.
There are always divers opinions about
any changes in the Navy and this
promises TO be no exception.
The essential features of the CONSOLE
dation of shops in navy yards, which
Truman H. Newberry, while secretary,
brought about are retained. On the
whole Mr.. Newberry's plan has worked
successfully, but in many particulars it
was experimental. "The new plan,
says Secretary Myer in commenting
upon Mr.. Newberry's work * starts
with the idea that the consolidation of
related trades in a group is correct in
principle. The rest is a matter of de,
tall
New Plans Goes Farther.
Mr.. Newberry established a single
manufacturing department at each of
the navy yards. While that may not
sound to the average man as a very
important proposition. it is, because
the manufacturing and repairing for
the Navy costs many millions of dol
lars annually. Now Secretary Meyer
goes a little farther. He divides the
manufacturing establishment at each of
the navy yards into two divisions
hull division and machinery division
Secretary Newberry put a naval con
-structOr in charge of each manufacture
ing yard. Secretary Meyer will retain
a naval constructor in charge of the
hull division and will put line Off
Ger of engineer experience in charge
of each machinery division. This is
IN accord with the almost universal
practice in the private shipbuilding es-
Establishments in this country and in the
naval dockyards of England and Ger
many The consolidation of manufac
turing features aimed at in the plan
of Secretary Newt berry is not sacrificed
the change merely lies in grouping
shops for purposes of control in such
d manner as to obtain the best exert
knowledge of their direction.
Better Business Methods
The eight bureaus of the navy de.
partment will have no representatives
at the navy yards except the command
ant. The eng neer officer, who is the
manager of the machinery division, and
the naval constructor, who is the man.
ager of the hull division, are the agents
of the commandment in carrying out
manufacturing work and repair work
of the bureaus The inspection officers,
who will lie stationed at each yard,
are TO examine and pass upon the char
acter of the work and the accounting
officer, proceeding under the new ac-
counting system recently installed at
the Boston yard and soon to be INSTALL
ed in other yards, will determine the
cost. The accounting system is en-
tirelv independent of the manufacturing
departments. Secretary Meyer believes
his new plan. with little change from
the existing Newberry system, viii pro-
duce better business methods, more
effective consolidation of trades ana
shops. an effective inspection system,
and an efficient accounting system
Continued on Page Six.)