New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-02-10
POINT FOR MEYER
Plan NAY BE TRIED.
House NaUaI Committee DIS
DOsed to Grant q Year.
From The Tribune Bureau

I
Washington. Feb. s.-Present indications
point TO a partial victory for the Secre-
tary Of the Navy in the controversy over
the adoption OF his scheme OF navy reor-
ganizatiou. The House Committee on
Naval Affairs seems disposed TO insert in
the naval appropriation bill some provision
which will permit Secretary Meyer TO give
his scheme years trial. but will not COM
nit Congress to its permanent adoption
This arrangement would be satisfactory 10
MI Meyer as probably the best that can
be expected for the present ne mas no
doubt that within that time the system
will so completely demonstrate its ad-
vantages that he feels he can well afford
10 submit 1t to the test
On the other hand. the members OF the
Committee on Naval Affairs are disposed
TO arrange for an extensive investigation
Of naval administration. especially as it
relates to navy yards Mr. Meyer would
doubtless welcome such an investigation,
although others are disposed 70 regard
this proposition with apprehension Long
experience has demonstrated the inability
Of Congress 10 acquire any adequate COM
prehension OF the intricaCies of so highly
technical an organism as the navy and ITS
administration. This inability OF members
chairman Of the House Naval Committee.
Representative Washington G Whitthorne.
in a report made as long ago as 1876. and
the situation has not changed since. IN
less, through the development Of compli
Gated machinery. etc. the difficulties have
increased.
OF course nothing definite is yet known
regarding the course of the Senate Com
mtttee on Naval Affairs, except that Seua-
tor Hale is strongly opposed TO the Meyer
plan of reorganization, and that Mr. Hale,
although no longer actual chairman OF the
Senate committee, is still its dominating
force It may be, however, that he Sena-
tor from Maine can be won over, at least 10
the policy which seems likely 10 be adopted
by the House committee
The conflicting testimony OF Chief Con-
structor Caps and Engineer in Chief Cone
has only served to confuse the committee,
which finds itself wholly unable TO extri-
cate the facts from the mass OF evidence
presented Probably the only point which
has been made really clear 70 the commit
tee as the result Of the figures presented
by these two authorities is that the Old
adage regarding the veracity of figures Is
itself a fragrant violation OF truth
CONE ANSWERS Caps.
The hearing of Rear Admiral Cone to-day
was lacking in the extraordinary interest
expected by those who knew that he would
be required 10 explain how Chief Con-
structor Caps, in his hearing before the
same committee a week ago, was able 10
quote official records COnTadiCting asser-
tons contained in Cones memorandum TO
the Secretary Of the Navy, alleging inCom-
petenCe and extravaganza in navy yard
management by naval constructors operat-
ing under the Newberry scheme Of reor-
ganization- The testimony given by the
chief constructor led to unfounded reports
that he was TO be disciplined for his atti-
tude on the Meyer plan Of navy reorgani-
cation This suggestion has elected the
sympathy of the members of the committee
for Caps and has prejudiced some OF them
against the engineer in chief copy o.
Capps's testimony, before il was revised
was obtained by the Navy Department and
has been the occasion for careful search OF
official reports in the preparation OF Cones
rejoinder of to-day
In some instances Rear Admiral Cone
CandidIv acknowledged mistakes in his
memorandum. and in others he pointed OUT
that questions of cost as compared with
detective estimates-of which uuch was
made in the Cone nleuorandum-depend