New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-01-06
4 General Board with Power the
Only Hope of the Navy.

The agitation for naval efhclency III which A"e
Tribune has had a conspicuous part is already
bearing fruit. The Secretary Of the Navy did
his best TO belitte this agitation. In his recon-
mendations to the Naval Affairs Committee Of the
House Of Representatives and in his testimony
before it he stood pat on plans which he had made
before the unpreparedness of the service for the
tasks which would confront it in case Of war was
so dramatically disclosed. Mr.. Daniels made a
sorry spectacle of himself on the witness stand
since in order to defend his Let-Thngs-Drift pol
lev. he was obliged to repudiate the advice Of the
General Board of the Navy and to challenge the
professional knowledge and counsel Of practically
all the experts who serve as his advisers.
The House Naval Affairs Committee had to
choose between the judgments Of an amateur
civilian Secretary and the judgments OF men who
have made the navy's needs life study. Had 1t
been possible, the Democratic majority on the
committee would have FASTENED to back up the
Secretary and, through him, the President. But
the disclosures of ineffciency and lack Of organi-
cation in the navy were too complete to be brushed
stolidly aside The subcommittee of the Naval
Committee in charge Of the naval appropriation
bill has therefore broken away from the Secre-
tarv's programme Of mastery inactivity and
decided to recommend that particular reform
which goes straightest to the heart of the prob
lem Of naval unpreparedness
The greatest trouble with the navy is ITS lack
of an up-to-date form Of military administration.
There is no central body which exercises control
over the navy as a fighting force and accepts
undivided responsibility for military results The
civilian Secretary is the one agent with real power,
out his power is unfortunately disproportionate
to his knowledge. He has professional experts as
his advisers yet he is perfectly free to ignore
their advice His tenure of Office is short and his
training and political prepossessions usually unit
him to enter with any sympathy into the highly
technical problems Of naval strategy and the
maintenance Of the navy as a great fighting or
ganism. He hardly gets an insight into the rudi-
ments of those problems before his term ends.
Few people realize what complicated machine
modern navy is. To create a first class fleet
and keep it in first class condition requires an
immense amount of forethought and the develop
ment year by year of a comprehensive plan.
navy cannot thrive on happy-go-lucky, hand-to-
mouth management. 1t is bound to deterorate-
and deteriorate quickly-and it is an appalling
task TO regain the ground lost in one two
running-to-seed years. How far our navy has
fallen behind is indicated by the testimony of
Rear Admiral Bradley A. Fiske, Secretary Dan
ielss Aid for Naval Operations, who said that
il would take three years to bring the personnel
up to the desired standard and five years to get
the feet into condition TO meet efficient enemy.
The subcommittee Of the House Naval Com
mittee is prepared to authorize the creation Of a
permanent Bureau Of Operations, to be controlled
by Board Of Strategy composed of naval officers.
II doesn't matter very much what titles are used
so long as central board is established with full
responsibility for the military administration Of
The navy That board should work out plans for
naval development for Congress , approve or dis
approve. without interference from the Secretary
of the Navy. The latter would still have plenty
to do supervising the non-military branches Of
naval administration There would be left in his
personal charge the bureaus of Medicine, Yards
and Docks, Supplies, Engineering, Construction
and Repair, Equipment and Ordnance.
If we are to have a modern navy we must adopt
modern naval methods Up to now we have
muddled along under the sort Of dispensation
which Mr. Daniels admires and wants TO see con-
tinued. The country is tired of that antiquated
method 1t is impatient TO see our navy put
abreast in efficiency Of the other navies with
which there is any possibility Of our coming into
conflict.