Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-09-18
NEEDS VICE ADMIRAL
Secretary Meyer Would Re-
store the Rank in Navy.
STUDY OF BRITISH SYSTEM
Insists on Fewer Navy Yards in
United States-Pleased With
Experience Abroad.

| NEW YORK. September 1s.-Secretary
| OF the Navy George Won l.. Meyer. who
has been in Great Britain studying the
| administrative methods of the British
admiralty and inspecting government
navy yards and private shipbuilding
plants. returned yesterday morning in the
Cunarder Lusitania. Mr.. Meyer said
| that he is more than ever in favor of
fewer government yards in this country,
and that he wanted the rank of vice adj
| mral restored to the service. He hoped,
he said, that Congress will soon pass a
| naval personnel bill that will give to the
navy younger admirals and captains
| At the pier Secretary Meyer was greet
ed by Rear Admiral E. H. c. Leutze
| commandant Of the New York navy yard
and representative of Lieut. Command
| er George c. Laws, U. S. N, command
ing the dispatch boat Dolphin. The Dol
phin waited for him off the pier, and in
it he left New York early In the after
noon.
Acknowledges Courtesies.
II am greatly pleased" said Mr. Meyer,
with the cordially and the courtesy
with which 1 was received by the British
admiralty and with the facilities afforded
me for examining government yards and
private plants. The day after my arrival
1 was entertained at dinner by Ambassa-
dor Reid and had the pleasure of meeting
| many members of the cabinet and large
number of distinguished officers of the
army and navy of Great Britain.
Il visited two of the largest of the
government yards. three of the great
plants on the Clyde near Glasgow, and
the Vickers establishment at Barrows.
was greatly impressed with all that
saw in these yards. and l was especially
struck with the activity and intelligence
displayed everywhere and the willing
ness of all to furnish information.
In London" continued the Secretary,
Il had conferences with the, admiralty
and with leading officials on matters of
navy yard administration and the rea-
lions of the admiralty to the British
fleet. l was attracted by the success at
tanned in the admiralty and in the Brit
ish navy generally in the abbreviating
and simplifying of correspondence. and
1t Is my intention to continue my prev
ious efforts to that end in our own navy"
British Disciplinary System.
Secretary Meyer was asked if he looked
into the disciplinary system used In the
British service.
Il did," he answered. land I found
much to learn in the more human way
desertion and leave-breaking are handled
in the British service, and of the punish
ments inflicted for those offenses | Wis
tied the navy detention barracks at
Chatham and Portsmouth and the army
detention barracks at Aldershot. At all
Of these barracks and at others through
out Great Britain offenders are punished
for offenses against discipline by contin-
ued drill and useful work during the
whole of the day. The punishment pc
RODS are short, but man so punished Is
quite certain to be careful not to do any
thing that will send him back to the de-
tention barracks. No prison garb Is worn.
and. although the men are confined in
separate rooms, there is an absence of
the brutalizing influence of a prison"
When asked if he intended to adopt the
British detention system in the American
navy the Secretary said he did. as far as
possible, he believed that in this way
many a good sailor will be saved to the
service.
explained. has already been made in our
navy but a great deal remains to be
done, and some legislation along more
humane lines will be necessary. l believe
Congress will be in sympathy with the
proposed change"
Another subject touched on by the Sec
rotary was the great cruiser attleships
that are being built by England and other
foreign governments. He said that there
were no armored cruisers in our navy to
compare with these great ships. which
have more than 1900 tons displacement
and EIGHT knots speed. Mr.. Meyer
said he had read in some of the newspa-
pers about a reaction in England in
favor of smaller battleships, but that he
had found no signs of such tendency,
nor had he reason to believe that any re-
ductiOn in size was contemplated in any
navy.
Measure of Economy.
'.My observations Mr.. Meyer said.
have strengthened my conviction that we
can do all the necessary work for the
navy in a less number of yards, and that
by the change we will gain not only
greater economy, but greater efficiency.
Nv observations also are that all the