Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-10-05
Army and Navy
News

Navy.
The U. S. S. Texas, flagship of the
commander in chief of the United
States Fleet, is scheduled to leave San
Pedro, Calf, October 16 en- route to
the New York Navy Yard for overhaul
The o. S. 8. Houston, now IN European
waters on a shake-down cruise, is due
to arrive at the Norfolk Navy Yard by
November 10 and will leave the East
Coast early in January for Manila for
service as flagship of the Atlantic Fleet
OF three battleships of the Navy, the
U. S. S. Wyoming, the U. s. S. Florida,
and the U. S. S. Utah, all of which are
at navy yards, the first two at the Phila-
delphia yard, while the Utah Is at the
Norfolk Navy Yard, two will be Scrapped
and one placed in ordinary commission.
The Florida will be decommissioned
for scrapping. The Wyoming, which
ultimately will be strapped, will be re-
tanned in reduced commission for the
present. The Utah will be placed in
ordinary commission with a complement
of about 300 men, for dismantling and
for conversion into radio-controlled
target ship.
Though the 1881 Navy selection board
will not meet until next June, approx
already being taken as to how far
down in the list of commanders the
board will go. 1t is estimated that about
20 commanders in the line of the Navy
will be selected for promotion to cap
tain by the 1881 selection board. The
junior officer selected by the 1881 board
was Comdr. r. M. Brainard If the nor
NAL percentage of selection is maintain
ed, the junior officer selected should be
COY1dr Eo01i1tOr1 q Glover
The instructions relative to a re-
duction in naval expenditures require
curtail of from $40 900, 900 to $50, 900 900,
and it is understood about the same
amount will obtain for the War De-
partment. Already orders have been
issued that the naval station at Key
West, Fla, be placed in an imperative
status ''as soon as practicable and not
later than November is, $780," and
that flight operations throughout the
naval aeronautic, organization be re-
duced to an absolute minimum consist
ent with carrying out the approved
operating schedules" Rumors are in
circulation that other stations, particu-
larry the ordnance plants at Charles
ton, w. Va, and Alexandria, Va, and
perhaps the yards at New Orleans, La,
and Charleston, S. c., also will be placed
in an moperating status. There is a
prospect, it is understood, of diminish
ing the enlisted force of the Navy by
about 5000 men, Of the Army by about
the same number and the Marine Corps
by about 1000.
Army.
A meeting was held last week by the
interdepartmental pay and promotion
board at which the subcommittee for
each of the six services, the Army, Navy,
Marine Corps, Coast and Geodetic Sur
vey, Public Health Service and the Coast
Guard, submitted bills covering the pro-
motion situation of their particular
service. After considering these bills
separately it was decided to appoint a
Reconciling Committee, consisting of one
member from each of the services, to
reconcile the differences in the six bills
and consolidate the provisions into q
single bill which will provide promotion
systems for each of the six branches.
This Reconciling Commute is composed
of the following officers, all of whom are
on duty in Washington: Lieut. Col Will
liam Dryden, F. A., u S. A.: Condr. H
H. Crosby, u. S. N: Mai. E. A. OSter-
mann, S. M c.; Lieut. Comdr L. "
Kielhorn, U. S. c. c.; Lieut.. H. A
Seran, S. c. 81 G. s.. and Surgeon L.
r. Thompson, U. S. p II. S.
1t has been intimated that members
of the congressional Joint Pay Commit
tee will make an effort to take up the
pay-promotion problem of the military
and naval services before Congress con-
venes in December, and it is expected
that after the November elections a ma