New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-05-31
The Observation-Disclosures
ifrom The Tribune Bureau I


Washington. Nav 90
1AAr ofsaANT REORGANIZATION
OF me really important achievements 81
LIZ administration and this session Of Com
SECS mas been almost lost sight NJ in +ba
.uiiiioh OF political events. and too If has
peeh somewhat ecIipsed by the freuo-ts
winch nave attended Secretary Viewers "a
o. organization Of the navy. But OF on1v
comparatively less importance fs the re-
organisation OF the Lighthouse Board ac-
collpilsheo by Secretary Nage of the De-
pa eilent or Commerce and Labor with the
assistance OF Congress. The bin authoriz-
ING me changes is now IN conference with
eSis prospect of an agreement BY both
HOUSES OF Congress. There are probably
~ peopie VINO realize tast upward of
S-''0'ooo Is spent annually by Uncle Sam
10 -IlIa1n the Gordon Of lighthouses, light
SHIPS me nuoys and other signals which are
so essential 10 the safety of all who go
ooWn 70 The sea In ships And this $500 600
IS SIMPLY for the cost Of maintenance. The
additions to the plant considerably Augment
mat sum For instance there Will be ex-
pended for this purpose in Tire coming wear
approximately $4,000 more And vet. since
1872, when the Lighthouse Board was Gre
ateos TINS great and important service has
peen without an executive head Several
SecreIarles OF the Treasury have called at
tenuon 10 this situation. When supervision
OF the board was transferred TO the De-
partnent Of Commerce and Labor its secre-
tar1es emphasized the necessity for change
but it remained for Secretary Nagel TO do
SO IN terms and with sufficient energy TO
induce Congress TO act, and as z result Of
his efforts, warmly Endorsed by President
Taft formally in his annual message and
otherwise, Congress has finally determined
TO act
EXISTING CONDITIONS-As at pres
ent organized, the Lighthouse Board, as its
name implies, is a board, not 2 bureau
It is composed Of two high ranking Of
hcers OF the navy, two officers Of the
corps OF engineers Of the army and two
civilians "cf high scientific attachments"
together with an officer OF the army and an
officer OF the navy as secretaries. The
Secretary of Commerce and Labor IS ex
ofhcio president, but the actual head of the
board is its chairman, whom IL elects itself
TIE division of authority between the two
arms Of the service has resulted in some
OF the most ridiculous situations. An army
secretary has positively refused to respond
TO the call OF the navy chairman because
the board was not in session, and he main
tanned the chairman was without authority
other than at sessions of the board Dead
lines have been carefully delimited with
chalk on the piers belonging to the service,
and officers OF one arm OF the military
service have been warned by those OF the
other not 70 cross the dead line. Under
such conditions II has been, Of course, quite
impossible for the navy and army officers
TO use the same boats or tenders, so that
IL each district II has been necessary 10
maintain two tenders, while in some in
stances these two tenders have been obliged
TO make tbs same trip simultaneously, each
carrying one officer, because the two, be-
longing to separate arms of the military
service. would not share the accou1moda-
tons Of the same vessel 1t may be easily
seen how this spirit has made for ex-
traEagance Of administration, while II is q
further fact that in this service, where
promptness and expedition are the first
requisites, there has at no time been an
executive head with power to act when
the board was not IN session. Under the
present form of organization the anomaly
has existed Of e secretary. member or
the Cabinet, having 10 exercise supervision
over deliberatiTe body.
THE NEW oRGANIZATIoN-The new
organization VIII transform the board into
q bureau, with an executive officer, & COM
missioner Of lighthouses, at its head. This
commissioner viii be appointed by the
President and confirmed by the Senate, and
viii be as responsive TO the Secretary OF
Commerce and Labor as the head Of any
other bureau in his department. such Is
the Commissioner Of Fisheries, the Com
missioner OF Labor or the Commissioner Of
Corporations. The commissioner is to have
the necessary assistants. and his jurisdic-
ton VIII probably be divided into nineteen
districts, which viii include Porto Rico
and the naval base in Cuba. and each dis
trict VIII be placed in charge of a single
Inspector instead Of authority in every
district being divided between z, naval and
an army officer, as is now the case.
Whether officers OF the military arm will
be detailed 70 this work remains to be de-
cided The Senate bill authorizes the
President 10 detail such officers, without
additional pay, both as commissioner and
as his assistants, and Secretary Nagel be-