The Washington herald., 1916-08-26
ARMY AND NAVY NEWS
Best Service Column in City.

The new navy personnel legislation will
require the Secretary of the NAVY former
| ly to designate assistants to the chiefs
or the two naval bureaus. For many years
there has been urgent need of these as
sistants, according to the naval authori-
ties:
In the Bureau of Yards and Docks,
civil Engineer 4. L. Parsons will be the
assistant to the bureau. In the Bureau
iof obstruction and Repair Naval Con-
structor Robert Stocker will be designat-
ed as assistant.
An assistant also is authorized for the
Judge advocate general 1t is expected
That Lieut.. Commander Adolphus station
VIII serve in that capacity, as he is
senior officer on duty under Capt. Ridley
Mclean.
The Senate has received from Secretary
OF Navy Daniels. a statement of scores
nade by the Atlantic battleship fleet in
division and battle practice in lgl5-lsl6. as
they appeared on The screen target at
Itime
IN individual practice the Virginia. out
ioi 10 shots. scored % hits Nebraska lis
shots, % hits; louisiana lO7 Shots Is
hlts. These were the highest scores
made. or the low scores the Arkansas
out Of Il shots. scored hits; Delaware.
iD shots. hits: and Rhode Island. 1l5
shots, ! hit. .
/ In division practice. the Texas. with 20
snots. scored 10 hits. Utah. 20 shots,
il hits: Arkansas. 76 shots & hits. Dela-
ware, 20 shots, hits; Louisiana. Il shots,
hit; and Kansas, IS shots. > hits.
WIN a view to preventing the introduce
tion into the United States of typhoid
IGNer ana other infectious diseases from
Mexico. public health officials are ad-
| |NocatlnE the acquisition of a parcel OF
iahd on the military reservation at Eagle
Iass, Tex, for the establishment Of A
lfumigating plant. This proposed site is
the only suitable one on the border it
lis said
The commanding officer at Eagle Pass
| and the department commander have
approved the project, and the quarter
| master general has reported that he
sees no objection TO it. 1t is not possible,
however, to transfer the tract to the
| treasury Department. in view of the fact
that lands comprising the military reser-
Naton were acquired by purchase under
authority Of Congress for military pur-
poses only. and it is not the power Of the
! W ar Department, without the sanction OF
congress. to transfer title to any portion
! of the reservation to any other depart
ment.
PERMISSION. however may be given the
/ Treasury Department to occupy and use
ior the purpose contemplated a suitable
4 tract OF land on the reservation. the exact
location to be fixed after consultation
between the commanding officer of the
reservation and an official Of the Public
Health Service.
! Although the keels or the new battle
ships California and Tennessee, construc.
| tion OF which was authorized in the naval
! bill of March 3. 1915 have not been laid
work on the construction Of the vessels
| nevertheless is in progress. Material has
been ordered and is now being delivered
The keel OF the California will be laid
I at tn" navy yard at Mare Island as soon
as sufficient material has been fabri.
! Gated to warrant it-prObahly = bout Sep
tembcr l. Delay in LAYING tho keel of
/ the tennessee at the New York navy
/ yard has been CAUSED by the fact that
the New Mexico cannot nr launched for
some months yet II had b,en planned
/ to work shifts on the New Mexico. be-
ginning in early sprine. in order that
/ she might bc launched in September or
! October Due to the unjre- -ydrnted de-
mand for labor in shipping trades. which
suddenly sDranS up. it has not only been
! lmpraCucable to procure sufficient skilled
workmcn to work shifts. but also difficult
ana at times impracticable to obtain one
! full shift
The work. however has been mate
| rally expedited, as from April to
/ August there had been 80 per cent
greater progress made on this vessel than
! upon one of its sister ships building by
| private contractors. and I2 per cent
! greater than on the other during the
same time
| Work on the fabrication OF the Ten
] rN1
! rial is delivered.