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 ADMIRALTY

ADMINISTRATION

the Controller. The inspector of dockyard expense accounts, who is entirely in the Controller’s department, enables him to exercise careful supervision over expenditure and the distribution of funds to special purposes. This work, however, though highly important, is merely one part of the system of financial control. Within recent years the bonds have been considerably tightened, and the work is untainted by corruption. It is true that in exercising rigid supervision over expenditure the work has become more centralized than is desirable, and it is a mark of change within recent years that local officers have been in larger measure deprived of independent powers. This, indeed, is a necessary condition of financial control, or at least a condition which it is not easy to change where rigid control is necessary. (n. v. h. ; J. ld.) United States. The President of the United States is commander-inchief of the navy—a constitutional prerogative which he seldom asserts. The Navy Department is administered by a civilian Secretary of the Navy—a cabinet officer appointed by the President—who exercises general supervision. Next in authority is the Assistant-Secretary, also a civilian nominee, who acts as an assistant, and has, besides, certain specific duties, including general supervision of the marine corps, naval militia, and naval stations Navy De- key0a(i the continental limits of the United partment. gtates> rj^g details of administration are supervised by the chiefs of bureaus, of which there are eight. They are appointed by the President from the navy list for a period of four years, and have the rank of rearadmiral while serving in this capacity. They have direct control of the business and correspondence pertaining to their respective bureaus; and orders emanating from them have the same force as though issued by the Secretary. The bureau of Navigation is the executive, or military, bureau, and as such promulgates and enforces the orders and regulations prescribed by the Secretary ; it has general direction of the procurement, education, assignment, and discipline of the personnel. It also controls the movements of ships, including the authorization of manoeuvres and drills, such as target practice. The bureau of Equipment has charge of all electrical appliances, compasses, charts, and fuel, and generally all that relates to the equipment of vessels, exclusive of those articles that come naturally under the cognizance of other bureaus. It has charge of the naval observatory, Avhere the ephemeris is prepared annually, and of the hydrographic office, where charts, sailing directions, notices to mariners, &c., are issued. The bureau of Ordnance has charge of the gun factory, proving ground, and torpedo station, and all naval magazines ; all the details that pertain to the manufacture, tests, installation, or storage of all offensive and defensive apparatus, including armour, ammunition hoists, ammunition rooms, &c., though much of the actual installation is performed by the bureau of construction after consultation with the bureau of ordnance. The bureau of Construction and repair has charge of the designing, building and repairing of hulls of ships, including turrets, spars, and many other accessories. It builds all boats, has charge of the docking of vessels and the care of ships in reserve. The chief of this bureau is usually a naval constructor. The bureau of Steam engineering has charge of all that relates to the designing, building, and repairing of steam machinery, and with all the steam connexions on board ship. The bureau of Supplies and accounts procures and distributes provisions, clothing, and supplies of the pay department afloat, and acts as the

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purchasing agent for all materials used at naval stations, except for the medical department and marine corps. It also has charge of the disbursement of money and keeping of accounts. The chief of this bureau is a pay officer. The bureau of Medicine and Surgery has charge of all naval hospitals, dispensaries, and laboratories, and of all that pertains to the care of sick afloat and ashore. The chief of this bureau is a medical officer. The bureau of Yards and docks has charge of construction and maintenance of wet and dry docks, buildings, railways, cranes, and generally all permanent constructions at naval stations. The chief of this bureau is often a civil engineer. Under the cognizance of the Secretary’s office is the office of the judge-advocate-general, an officer selected by the President from the navy list for a term of four years, with the rank of captain while so serving. He is legal adviser to the Department, and reviews the records of all courts and statutory boards. Under the cognizance of the Assistant-Secretary’s office is the office of naval intelligence, which collates information on naval matters obtainable at home and abroad. The staff is composed of naval officers on shore duty, the senior in charge being usually a captain, and known as chief intelligence officer. Several boards are employed under the various bureaus, or directly as advisers to the Secretary. Some are permanent in character, while others are composed of officers employed on other duty, and are convoked periodically or when required. The naval policy board is composed of officers of high rank, and meets once a month; its duties conform to those of the general staff in armies. The board on construction consists of the chiefs of bureaus of Ordnance, Equipment, Construction and repair, Steam engineering, and the chief intelligence officer. Its duty is to advise the Secretary in all matters relating to the construction policy in detail. The general construction policy is suggested by the naval policy board. The board of inspection and survey is composed of representatives of all bureaus, who inspect vessels soon after commission and on return from a cruise, and report on the condition of the ship and efficiency of its personnel; it also conducts the official trials of new vessels. The boards for the examination of officers for promotion are composed of officers of the corps to which the candidate belongs and of medical officers. Every officer is examined professionally, morally, and physically at each promotion. The Navy Department is located at Washington, D.C., and occupies a building together with the State and War Departments (the latter being charged solely with armyaffairs). The personnel is limited in number by law. The allowance of commissioned officers in July 1900 was 1449, distributed as shown in the table. All PersonaeI others than line officers are termed, in contradistinction from them, staff officers. The relative navy or army rank of any staff grade may be ascertained from the table on p. 79. The engineer corps was abolished in 1899, the then engineer-officers becoming line officers in their respective relative grades. Line officers are the military and executive branch, and are required besides to perform engineer duties. They are graduates of the Naval Academy. Vacancies occurring in the construction corps are filled from the graduates of the Naval Academy having the highest standing in scholarship, who are given a two years’ graduate course, generally abroad, on being graduated from the Academy, and are then appointed assistant naval constructors. All other staff officers are appointed directly from civil life by the President, from candidates passing prescribed examinations. Each repre-