The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-10-26
A REORGANIZATION
OF NAVY ON FOOT
Deficiency in Ordnance Sup
plies Has Started This
Movement.
National News Association

WASHINGTON, Oct. 26.-Spurred
by the recent discovery OF deficiency
OF three and quarter million dol
lars worth of ordnance supplies at the
Washington Navy Yard Secretary OF
the Navy, George Won l.. Meyer in
tends to reorganize the United States
Navy. from top to bottom and place
It upon a basis which will compare
favorably with that Of any other ma
Wy of the world.
As a result OF a sweeping inventory
which was taken at the direct order
Of Secretary Meyer and which was
completed a few days ago. 1t was dis
covered that the government had
nothing on its books to account for
the disappearance OF an enormous
amount OF material from the Wash
ington Navy Yard. The last complete
inventory was taken before the Span
ish-American war and while 1t Is be-
lieved the supplies were removed hur-
riedly during the war without &C
counting being taken and therefore
being a loss due to loose bookkeep-
ing, nevertheless Secretary Meyer is
fearful that similar shortages have &C.
Cured a tother yards, and Is deter
mined to improve the general system.
The Secretary will cast aside all SCI
entihc systems of navy yard manage
ment advocated in this country. be-
cause he believes they involve too
much detail and require serious chan
ges in the civil service rules Of EN-
ployment, and will import from Eng
land the system of management en-
ployed by Vickers, Limited. at the
Barrow-in-Furness Ship. Engine and
Ordnance Works. This was announc-
ed at the Navy Department following
the return, of Secretary Meyer from
his trip of inspection Of the chief ma
val works in Europe.
That the system may be thoroughly
instituted, Captain A. B. Willis and
Captain e. Thesis. U. s. NJ. have been
sent to England to study the details
OF the Vickcrs system These officers
plan to be away about a month and
following their return 1t is believed
the installation OF the new system
will be begun in earnest. Secretary
Meyers studied the Vickers system
with great care and believes their
methods can be profitably applied in
American Navy Yards, and that great
benefit will be derived both by the
government and the workmen from
the new system. The opposition OF the
labor interests who were particularly
interested in defeating the so-called
Taylor system. was another important
factor considered by Secretary Meyer
IN rejecting the systems advocated in
this country. He also believes that too
much system" would increase, rather
than decrease the cost Of maintenance
The chief recommendation for the new
system Is that 1t provides for the CEN
tralization Of work and enables the
commandant OF yard to know just
what 10 being done on o particular job
without having to get the information
from others who have the work under
their charge. 1t also Is expected to az
feet an enormous curtailment of
waste.
The Washington Navy Yard is to
have a new system of bookkeeping
and auditing at once, according to Sec.
Rotary Meyer. and it will depend upon
the success attained by this system
in the Washington Navy Yard wheth-
er or not 1t will be extended to all the
yards maintained by the government.
The Norfolk Navy Yard will be the
first at which the Vickers general sys-
tenn Will be installed, and the change
will be made in tn eother yards grad
ually. Naval Constructor Evans has
been sent to the Norfolk yard to car
~ out the instructions of Secretary
Meyer for the improvements in the
issue and care of tools, the handling
Ut materials. repair methods, estimat.
ing on work and bringing about uni
form methods in al 1.-The shops, as an
initial step.
Another evidence of the Naval Sec.
retsry's determination to entirely
change the system is shown by the
removal Of Rear Admiral Reginald F..
Nicholson as Chief of the Bureau of
Navigation position commonly re-
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