The Washington herald., 1916-03-07
BY Z. ID. JOHNS.

While the naval personnel bill will not
be taken up formally by the Senate Com
mttee on Naval Affairs at its meeting
today. the question as to holding hearings
will be discussed. \ number of the MEM
bers of the Senate committee are urging
that the personnel question be taken up
and an opportunity seems TO be afforded
while the Senate is waiting for the House
to pass the appropriation bill
IT the Senate committee should report
out bill it could be attached TO the
naval appropriation bill when it comes
over from the House without being sub
jeCt to a point # order. Time could
really be gained If the bill was handled
first in the Senate committee. II will
be some time in April before the House
committee will be through with the ap-
preparation bill, and II it should under
take to hold hearings on the personnel
bill after that it might be June or July
before it would conclude its hearings.
New Members Puzzled.
The House Committee on Naval Affairs
usually takes more time in holding hear
ings than any other committee of the
lower chamber. Naval affairs are very
complicated for even the older members
Of the committee and everything is
Greek to the new members. Usually the
new members of the committee insist
upon being educated, which consumes
pages and pages of printed testimony.
The personnel question is the most in
tricate of all naval problems, and any
hearings on it in the House committee
would be a lOng-drawn-Out AFFAIR.
As a rule the Senate committee is com
posed of members Of more extensive
knowledge of naval affairs and it could
handle the personnel question in less
h. aI min finn Is really
committed to naval personnel legislation
it will take it up through the Senate COM
mittee.
To speed up the work of producing
an adequate number of army and navy
officers through West Point and An
napolis Commodore Robert G. Denig
advocates the establishment of a
United Service First Year School At
the proposed school the cadets and
midshipmen could take their first
years training and thus reduce the
course at both academies to three
years. This would make it possible
to increase the output of the acad-
emies at least One-third without en-
larging their facilities.
THE United States First Year School,
said Commodore Denig, could be made
up of all of the military and naval
cadets who have passed the required
examination lot entrance llNO AilS
academy. Thus one set of eNamina-
lions would suffice where now two are
necessary. There is nothing to hinder
the reducing to the present qualitica-
lions for entry into the two academies
while. there are good reasons why
this should be done.
Preference to Enlisted Man.
THE separation of the first year
cadets from the upper classes as far
as the Naval Academy is concerned,
is not new. During the civil war, ow-
ing to the location of the Naval Acad-
envy, it was essential for the continue
ton of the school and the safety of
the cadets to move them bag and
hammock to Newport. While the
academy was at Newport the first year
cadets swung on old lronsides.
moored alongside a dock off Goat Is
land, and there they received their
instructions. The Atlantic Hotel. in
Newport, converted into an academy
was occupied by the upper classes,