Evening star., 1925-06-12
EARN PROMOTION
OR LEAVE NAVY.
G|ST OF NEW BILL
Proposed Changes in Retire.
ment Procedure Are of
Sweeping Nature.
FIXES TIME SCHEDULE
TO MAKE EACH GRADE
Tentative Draft of Britten Measure
Is Made Public by the
Department.

The tentative draft of bill design.
ed to amend the present legislation
governing promotion in the Navy and
OF vital interest to, every grade in the
service, was made public today by the
Navy Department.
1t would insure more retirements In
the line below the grade of command
er and fewer above It, and direct that
officers who had not been selected for
promotion in specified ranks before
on the retired list.
The bill was drafted as the result of
conferences held during the past
month by Rear Admiral H. P. Jones.
Rear Admiral W. r. Shoemaker, Rear
Admiral F.. H. Campbell and Comdr. J.
II. Mccain with Representative Fred
A. Britten of Illinois. Representative
Britten, before leaving the city today
for the Summer, declared he would
Introduce the bill at the opening ses-
sion of the next Congress, although
the Navy Department memorandum
accompanying the copy Of the draft
said 1t Is but tentative, has not yet
received the approval Of the Secretary
of the Navy and is subject to changes
before being submitted for considera-
ton by, Congress-
Time Limits Set.
The bill calls for the retirement of
off1cers from captain down to lieuten.
ant, Junior grade. unless they have
completed certain specified years of
service; captains, comman and
lieutenant commanders being retired
on percentage of pay equal to 2h
per cent of their pay for each year
of service. while lieutenants and junior
grade lieutenants would be wholly re-
tired from the Navy with two years
pay of their grade.
The law at present declares that no
captain, commander or lieutenant
commander shall be promoted unless
he has had not less than two years
actual sea service on seagoing ships
In the grade in which serving or who
Is more than 56. so or As years OF age,
respectively. This section, il amend
ed. would read that mo captain. COM
mander, lieutenant commander, lieu
tenant or lieutenant Gunior grade)
shall be promoted unless he has had
not less than two years actual sea
service on seagoing ships In the grade
pleted IS, 28, 81, II or years Of serv-
ice since date Of commission, respec.
lively"
First Step Four Years.
The provisions of existing law relat-
ing to promotion by selection in the
line of the Navy are extended under
the Britten bill to include and author
lie promotion by selection to the
grades of lieutenant commander and
lieutenant in the line of the Navy.
The bill says that mo lieutenant shall
be eligible for selection for promotion
who shall have had less than four
years service in his grade at the time
OF convening Of the board; that ex.
warrant and ex-commissioned warrant
officers in the grade of lieutenant or
lieutenant Gunior grade) II not Sc
lected for promotion shall have the op-
tion of reverting to their former per.
manent warrant status in the same
manner as If they had failed in their
examination for promotion; that not
more than 10 per cent of any grade
shall be retired in accordance with the
provisions of this act in any one year:
and when such number of retirements
would otherwise be exceeded the selec-
ton board shall after making the Sc
lections to fill the required number Of
vacancies as furnished to the board by
the Secretary Of the Navy, designate
as eligible for future selection a num-
ber of officers in the grades of captain,
lieutenant or lieutenant Ounior grade)
as hereinafter provided, who would 9TH
erwise become ineligible for promotion
by length Of service. such number to
be the excess over 10 per cent of the
whole grade among those officers in
the grade who would otherwise become
ineligible for promotion by length of
service. and the officers SO designated
shall, on approval of the report of the
hna rd NOT rotira hIrt shall rMrofr on
the active list and be eligible for con-
sideration for selection by the next
following selection board.
Retirement Imperative.
''Retirements OF lieutenant com.
manders and lieutenantS Uunior grade)
shall not begin until that year In
which the retirements Of commanders
and lieutenants under the provisions
of this act first equals 10 per cent of
the grades of commander and of
lieutenant, respectively, except that
those lieutenant commanders and
lieutenants 0unior grade) who have
been passed over in selection for
promotion shall be retired in ac-
cordance with the provisions of this
act.
"All officers Of the Navy not other.
wise retired in accordance with pro-
visions OF law shall be retired upon
reaching the age of 64 years"
The bill also provides that the total
retired pay Of captains, commanders
and lieutenant commanders who be-
come ineligible for promotion and are
retired on a percentage of 2h per
cent of their pay for each year OF
service shall not exceed 75 per cent
Of the pay they were entitled to re-
ceive while on the active list.
The officers with over 10 years
naval service previous to the date Of
their commission in the line Of the
Navy shall be retired with 2h per
cent Of their pay for each year OF
total service and their total retired
pay shall not exceed 75 per cent Of
the pay they were entitled to while
on the active list at the date Of their
retirement.
Under the bill the service of Naval
Academy graduates shall be computed
from July l Of the year in which
their class would have graduated.
In conclusion, the bill amends the
present legislation dealing with OF.
ficers of the line appointed from
sources other than the academy to
read:
THAT officers of the line of the
Navy, who were appointed thereto
pursuant to the act of June 4. 1920,
from sources other than the Naval
- D Tv~f,,r,-r n