Evening star., 1925-05-24

Care was exer ~
cised in the prep
aration of the staff Secretary wi,bur.
reply to the opin-
ion, the latter paper being an
swered in detail, paragraph by para
graph. In sustaining article 14S, un-
der which staff officers hold their pres
ent title, the opinions of the Attorney
General of the United States rendered
two decades ago are quoted.
1t is contended by the staff that full
authority is invested in the Secretary
of the Navy to designate the titles of
Navy officers. More than one title can
be given them, it is argued. just so
long as he does not violate the provi-
sions of the law. In the event that
the title of an officer is not fixed by
Congress, it is stated, the exercising
of this function comes under the au-
thority of the Secretary of the Navy.
In their answer TO the opinion. the
heads of the Staff Corps rest their
defense mainly upon an opinion OF the
Judge advocate general. in which the
declaration is made that Congress has
not seen fit Ito so handle coordinate
branch of the Government" with re-
spect to designating the titles Of its
officers. The quotation from this
opinion reads as follows:
The head of a department for his
own purposes as such has authority
to designate bureaus and Offices there
in and to cause his Subordinates to
designate them in official communica-
tions by names other than those there
tofore borne by such offices. There
is no statute or rule OF law which for
bids the employment of certain names
in such cases. where the head of the
department considers that new rela-
tions acquired by such branches Of
business under reorganization OF his
department so requires. Congress
has not seen fit to so hamper a CO.
ordinate branch of the Government.
Its own use of names is not such a
prohibition There is no legal objec-
tion to the employment of two names
or many names for the same object
nor will it be inconsistent with law"
for the head Of the department under
section 161, Revised Statutes, to make
use of other names than those used by
Congress. Names are ordinarily free
for the person speaking or writing TO
choose" "a Op. Atty. Gen, 69T.
A unified front. it is stated, repre-
sents the staff officers in their opin-
ion to the Secretary of the Navy. and
the final outcome of this controversy
will be watched with great interest
throughout the naval establishment.
With the exception of Division ,.
the Fleet lIc G0NISSu
United States Fleet operating plan for
the calender year 1925 will be based
at Guantanamo from September 20 to
November 80. Division is due to
arrive at Panama. from the Pacific on
September III. ION October the over
haul period of Division 3 will begin,
and during, the~latter part OF the
month gunrery exercises for the
Scouting Fleet will be conducted. An
no II f,e,-ind of the Scouting
Fleet will begin November 90, and on
December the fleet is due at their
home ports.
The Battle Fleet on its return from
the Australian cruise on October 4
will have an overhaul period until
October IS, after which gunnery ex-
ercises will be conducted in the Vlcln-
ity of San Pedro. Between this time
and the close of the calendar year, the
fleet will go into overhaul periods,
and the remainder of the time Will be
devoted to gunnery exercises and
tactical maneuvers.
Extensive efforts have been made
bv the Navy Department for the es-
tablishment of an efficient mail serV-
ice to and from the United States and
the fleet, while it is in the Hawaiian
Islands and during the cruise to Aus
tralia According to the approved
schedule mail will leave the United
States for Honolulu on the following
dates: May 81 and 80: June 3, 10. IL,
IT. 20 and "a The last mail to reach
the fleet prior to its departure for
Australian. waters will leave San
Francisco June "a on the S. s. Maui
of the Matson line. Mail for the
United States will leave Honolulu as
follows: May 26 and 81; June 8. 6, 10,
16, II. 20. "a and July l.
While the ships are in Australian
and New Zealand waters mail will
reach the fleet if dispatched on the
following dates from San Francisco:
Leave San Francisco July l, arrive
Sydney and Melbourne on July %;
leave San Francisco July Z. arrive
Sydney and Melbourne on July 2S:
leave San Francisco July Is, arrive
Wellington and Auckland New Zea-
land) August 3; leave San Francisco
July %. arrive Auckland and Yelling
ton New Zealand August II. Ar
rangements have been made for mail
to leave San Francisco on August Is
TO be picked up by a destroyer on
August 81 at Pago Pago, Samoa. Dis
tribution will be made of this mail
on September l. while the fleet is
en- route from New Zealand to Homo
lulu.
Following is the approved mail
schedule from the ships visiting Aus
tralia and New Zealand: Leave Aus
tralia July 30. arrive San Francisco
August %: leave Australia August 5,
arrive San Francisco August "a: leave
New Zealand August II, arrive San
Francisco September 4; leave New
Zealand August 90, arrive San Fran
cisco September IA.
Steps are being taken to perfect
the organization of a Coast Guard
Academy band. which will be stationed
at the academy. The first enlistment
in the newly authorized musician rat
ings was that of Bandmaster H. O.
jerks, a former member of the Navy
Sand at Washington, who will be
charged with the formation and train
Ing of this new Coast Guard musical
organization.
ARMY.
Maintenance of the Regular Army
at its present strength, and this years
National Guard and citizens military
training camp program, will require
an increase of Sic, ,000. 900 in the next
appropriation bill. This development,
which was made public by the Secre.
tary of War in his last report, is due
TO the fact that the tremendous re-
serve supplies which We're accumu-
lated during the war are rapidly being
used lis bV the various War Depart-