New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-06-21
ARMY AND NAVY NOTES
Prospect of Promotion Dead
lock Dismays Navy Officers.
From The Tribune Bureau
Washington, June

find some Of them no further adNdnCeu
than the grade Of lieutenant commander
when they have reached the compulsory
retirement age
These Junior ensigns hope, Of course lot
rclief in the form of legislation but Con
gress has proved so deliberate IN taxing
nm naval personnel relief that there Is
chance that the stagnation will be endur-
ing. Comparatively young officers are
now occupying the higher grades IN &C
cordance with a plan TO obtain men IN
their prime for the command Of ships
This means that while one desirable ef-
feet has been accomplished the higher
grades are filed by officers who VIII not
he yetired for many years. kVentuaHS
there will be a return to the former con-
d,tion with the officers growing old IN the
GRADES of captain and rear admiral CIu-
matelv there will be retirement OF many
officers during a period Of a few years
and promotion will be again excessive
Oficers who have been studying the
rroblern Of naval personnel have well
night despaired Of any system when VIII
regulate promotion in way 10 aNolu INC
recurrence of conditions bound 10 ne ue-
r,oralizing and TO lead 10 discomfort IL
has been hoped that during the present
Congress something would be accom-
plished. but the naval authorities are not
inclined to approve the measure Whlch
met with the Endorsement Of the late adj
rrinistration and which has been penang
before the Congress for several years.
Secretary Daniels says he has not had
sufficient time to look into the subject
and is not disposed TO send to congress
thus early in his administration a bill he
does not fully understand and which ne
has been informed by officers attached 10
the feet, is not satisfactory and VIII not
accomplish that which is claimed ior Il
by its advocates
II seems certain Congress vii! DO hoth-
ing which would appreciably increase Vne
cost of service maintenance ana theIe Is
every indication of a determination 10 al
low the subject TO 90 over Tor announcer
wear al least. There may be soiheth4Hs
IN the way of limiting the number OF
graduates from Annapolis who VIII De
commissioned as ensigns Legislation no"
pending, and which has passed the 0e"a'e'
allows two midshipmen for each Seha'o'
and each representative, being an extern
sion TO 1916 of the law which expires on
June 80. This will maintain an output at
the Naval Academy which VIII! uhleSs
checked. serve to put into the comnis-
stoned grades a prodigious numoel "a
ofHcers for whom there will be a long
wait in the grade Of junior lieutenant BE-
fore promotion. The prospect is causing
h.
especially among those still in the acad-
envy.
"IANCHUs" OPPOSE CHANGE.-The
War Department is preparing a report
on the pending so-caled Manchu leglsia-
ton for the guidance Of the House Mill
tary Committee. which will shortly take
up the bill that aims TO extend the eA-
listing detached service statute, enacted
during the last Congress, 10 those onlceFs
of the line Of the grades OF major leu
tenant colonel and colonel
The present law applies to the junior
officers. those who are connected with the
company, troop and battery commands
II prescribes that they shall serve at
least two years in each six years with
the organization Of which they are MEM
hers. The application Of the law was &C
conpanied by much confusion, and re-
ouired the sudden change in duty or sta
tion Of more than one thousand officers,
some of whom were on duty in Europe
The extension of the law is opposed
mainly by those officers who are Man
chus"-those who have been absent from
their commands for a greater portion
than one-third Of their military careers.
But It is also opposed by the military
authorities, who say that the terms OF
the pending bill are impracticable.
One feature TO which objection is made
is that which requires major 70 De
with a battalion as the command OF his
grade. 1t is held that this will not be
possible, as in the case Of the army posts,
so many OF which are Of two-company
dimensions, and then it may be necessary
10 send out a major with a smaller body
than a battalion, as in Texas. Under the
law, as il is proposed, the major will not
be regarded as serving with troops in
accordance with law unless v-ath bat
talon.
II is said at the War Department that
the application of the law will entail
much confusion and. IN some instances
II will be impossible TO so assign officers
10 such duty as would be required by the
law. II is stated that there will not be
suficient majors in the artillery corps 10
perforn the duties devolving upon them
without calling upon those not eligible TO
the duty.
PEARL HARBOR A WAR BASE
PROBLEM A serious state Of AFFAIRS
exists at Pearl Harbor, Hawaiian Islands,
relative to the big drydock under con-
struction there. The chief Of the Bureau
Of Yards and Docks has returned TO
Washington from Hawaii and IS now
awaiting the report of board Of experts
OF which Civil Engineer F. r. Harris
L. S. n, regularly on duty as public
works officer at the New York Navy
Yard. is a member These officers went
20 Pearl Harbor 10 ascertain the extent
of the recent disaster and the method Of
repair. The first report from the COM
mandant Of the station said the dock had
been wrecked Later advices indicated
there was some chance Of restoration,
but the examination by the civil en-
gineers, including those on duty at Pearl
Harbor, showed that the situation was
grave.
There has been some hint that the dock
would have 10 be abandoned. but Harris,
wbo made a reputation by completing