Evening star., 1926-11-07

| total allowed number of officers in the
rank of captain as 81 per cent Of
those staff officers in the corps con-
cerned of the ranks of captain and
commander whose running mates are
captains. The second clause in the
section, pertaining to the exclusion Of
certain staff officers. Is not related to
the total allowed number of officers in
, the rank being considered. This re-
| fers to the number of staff officers to
which the percentage figure is to be
applied for the purpose of determining
the total allowed number in the rank
of captain. It Is quite clear. it is
pointed out. that all staff captains
with running mates who had been
recommended for promotion to rear
admiral but had not been commits
, stoned in that rank must have been
counted in computing the total allowed
| number of rear admirals in any staff
| corps. and such being the case, it is
| not reasonable to assume that they
could be again counted in computing
| the number allowed in the rank of
captain.
With respect to the intent of Con-
gress when this section was enacted
| into law, it has been brought out that
Congress was fully cognizant that this
section would be administered just as
ment. For illustrative purposes, the
Medical Corps was used when the
question of promotion to the rank of
rear admiral was under consideration.
| There were II medical officers whose
running mates were rear admiralS. 1t
was explained, and four of this num-
Der were then serving as rear ad
mfrals: that 81 per cent would be ap-
piled to the II officers whose running
mates were rear admirals and that the
difference between the result so OBJ
tained and the number serving in the
rank of rear admiral would equal the
number that could be promoted. This
would indicate, it is pointed out, that
1t was the intention to include in the
total allowed number of officers in any
rank all officers serving in that rank
whose running mates had been pro-
NOTED to the next higher rank
There is but one course of action to
be followed by those Navy staff Off
GERS who believe that the Navy De-
partment has enormously interpreted
section Is, and that Is to officially
request the department to submit the
matter to the Attorney General for his
consideration. Unless such a request
Is made. 1t is certain that action of
that nature will not be taken by the
department. 1t Is apparent that the
section Of the equalization act fixing
the number Of rear admirals in the
STAN corps was made imperative by
the provision limiting the number of
officers in that rank, and 1t is possible
that section Is. relating to the num-
ber of captains in the staff corps.
needed modification, but no change
was made.
Lieut.. Comdr. Frank A. Braisted,
who has been on duty in the Bureau
Of Naval Operations, will. relieve
Comdr. John c. Cunningham as ex-
ecutive officer of the Henderson. the
latter officer having been assigned to
duty at the Philadelphia navy yard.
Orders have been issued detaching
Comdr. Harvey Delano as assistant
chief Of staff, and Lieut.. Comdr. Ar
thur w. Dunn, jr., as aide on the
staff of the commander of Ameri-
can naval forces in Europe, upon the
relief Of Vice Admiral Roger Welles.
Pending their assignment to stations,
they will be attached to the receiving
ship at New York. Lieut.. Comdr.
neer officer Of the New York, will be
relieved by Lieut.. Comdr. Campbell
D. Edgar, who will proceed to his
new duty from aviation instruction at
the naval air station at Pensacola,
Fla. The former officer has been as
signed to duty at the Philadelphia
navy yard. where he will relieve
Lieut.. Comdr. Hugh L. White. The
latter has been ordered to undergo
the aviation course of instruction at
Pensacola, which will begin in jan
uary. Lieut.. Comdr. Carlos A. Bailey,
who has been on duty In the Bureau
Of Engineering, Navy Department,
and who is due for duty afioat, will be
relieved by Lieut.. Comdr. Frank D.