The Daytona daily news. [volume] (Daytona, Fla.) 1903-1926, 1912-03-13
SECRETARY
MEYER HOLDS
HARD JOB
HEAD OF NAVY DEPARTMENT
MUST KEEP THINGS MOVING

witt AND IN SHAPE FOR YES
Sells TO GO TO WAR ON SHORT
NOTICE.
WASHINGTON. March 1s.-The OF
ganization of the fleets of the United
States navy is as complex as that of
Swiss watch. Officers, cadets and
seamen; battleships, cruisers, col
Hers, transports, and a swarm of
lesser craft; guns and electrical and
mechanical equipment of every con-
cefyable character-all must be man.
aged by an executive head, and jug
gled IN such a way that the big
boats which congress delights to fur
nish for the protection of the coun-
try are in the proper places at the
proper times, and that everybody is
kept busy enough to earn his salary.
The head OF this complicated or
ganfzatio0, the secretary of the navy,
George Won Lengerke Meyer, is a
former member of the Massachu-
sets legislature, whose only connec-
ton with naval affairs before his ap-
podntment to the post he now graces,
was boyhood yearnmg to run away
to sea.
Secretary Meyer has. however, in
the state, war and navy building in
Washington, several hundred, perhaps
thousand sleek clerks bossed by
| able heads of departments, who in
turn are told what to do by number
OF rear-admirals. The system is very
nearly perfect. except when minor
| disturbances creep in, such as the
blowing up of powder magazine on
board some ship of war or the mis-
chance of an open breech letting &
shell slip out of the wrong end of {
gun into the laps of the gunnels a
target practice.
On the whole, though, the men O
the navy are a blythe lot, and 81
the navy runs like chockwork.
Basicly there is an exact progress
sion in the navy. Originally younl
mans father becomes influential ID
politics, he buttonholes his member
in congress about an appointment 70
his son; the son is appointed to tn,
naval acadamy; then if he isn't e3
peEed for hazing he graduates am
gets in the way aboard some battle
ship. When his education goes ia
enough 20 avoid stepping on othe
peoples toes, he is promoted. Their
is series of promotions and finan
he is refined with the rank of real
admiral and given a swivaI chat
in the navy department and a pres
notice in the morning papers. He
probably made laid for personnel
or laid for stationary and postag
stamps" That is the system. Some
times the order is changed little b
the rude intrusion of war, but nc
often
To keep this perfectly adjuste
system in good running order, regul;
lions must be periodically drawn u
and issued as general order numbe
so and So" One has just been issue1
The order says that reserve fleet
will be commanded by officers (
! flag ranks" and a long hist of subo
lintes which Include the entire gam
of promotion.
Then there is the yearly cruise
l l. md 4
reserve fleets Will be required to tai
J or send each ship under his commaI
to sea for a short period at lea:
} once a year during which a fualpow'
} trial and possibly target practice wi
I be he'd. In this connection rules e
tending the competitive feature
) reserve ships will be framed to pla<
a premium upon the efficient perfor1
} ance of the battery and the upket
, of motive and other machinery.
The regulations for government
the men are very stringent. No mo
! than half of the crew of any veSs
may be off duty at amy time. Eve
those men who are given shore lea
may not go far away from the ship.
Women are cas;onally allowed {
. board for a short time when the We
3 sci is docked, but the wife of no of
z Ger is permitted to reside aboal
= ship. Even the wife of the admir-
Of the navy may not accompany hi
z upon cruises. The wife and family