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18 navy yards to the end that unneces- sary work may be avoided and simpler methods of administration prevail; the enlargement of the general board of the navy and the reorganization of the board of construction, so that there may be more complete co-ordina- tion in the work of the navy depart- ment and more general representation on these important boards. To develop the usefulness and ac- tivities of the general board by re- arranging its membership is desirable. Mr. Newberry says. He proposes tha' it consists of the admiral of the navy, the chief of the bureau of navigation, the president of the Naval War College, chief intelligence officer, one member of the board of inspection and survey. naval aid to the assistant secretary. and three of the most efficient line of- ficers of the widest experience afloat. The members should be in practically 'daily consultation on all matters af- fecting the greater interests of the navy and personnel. REORGANIZATION OF CONSTRUCTION BOARD. Reorganization of the 'board of con- struction contemplates a membership of seven line officers and one staff officer, the chief naval constructor. It is to be charged with the supervision of the design, construction, and re- pair of all vessels, and is designed to be the effective co-ordinating author- ity for the manufacturing of material ' for the naval service. - The duties of the four constructing 'bureaus, ordnance, equipment, steam engineering, and construction, will be re-assigned so that the detail drafting and manufacturing for the naval service will be done by the bu- reau of construction. The bureau of ordnance is to retain control and man- agement of the gun factory, the tor- pedo station, the proving grounds, and magazines. BUREAUS TO BE ABOLISHED Ultimately the plan of reorganization contemplates the abolishment specific- ally of the bureaus of equipment, steam engineering, and yards and docks, their duties to be absorbed gradually by other bureaus. Steam engineering is to become a division of the bureau of navigation with a line officer at its head. This bureau, having lost its manufacturing features, will be charged with the determination of the type, lo- cation, etc., of propelling machinery and its inspection. : The secretary believes that in order to promote the efficiency of our ord- nance work and steam and electrical enginering, a certain number of officers should be given an opportunity yearly to specialize in these classes by one , VAZ., - Tre Marine Review or more years' post-graduate work at some suitable institution. Part of the plan which the secre- tary outlines, he says, has 'been in ef- fect since Jan. 1, and up to the present time there has not been received one word of criticism, suggestion, or pro- test. It appears to be working for the better military efficiency and proper business administration of the depart- ment. : NEW MARINE LAWS FOR 1909. Commencing Jan. 1, a law passed at the last session of congress becomes ef- fective, revising the passenger carrying act of 1882, which requires the isolation ot .-the in. steerage apartments, more space for each passenger. carried and an allotment for an entire passage of space for steerage passengers that is wholly unobstructed by the storage of The act also governs the carrying of passengers on decks below the water line of the sexes cargo, stores or other goods. vessel. Commencing Feb. 1, customs officers are instructed that it will be unlawful for the operators of steamers towing seagoing barges to use hawsers of great- er length than 75 fathoms for each craft in tow measuring from the stern of one =vessel to the bow of the following boat. It is further required that hawsers of less length must be used when the state of the weather and the seas will permit. It is also required that when two or more vessels. are being towed that the tows be bunched whenever possible. A WIRELESS BIDS OPENED. The navy department opened bids on Jan. 28, for the construction of ; wireless tower in Washington, from which it shall be possible to com. municate with ships at sea to the distance of 3,000 miles. : The specifications require that the tower or station shall be at all times ¢apable of transmitting messages within a radius of 3,000 miles in any navigable direction from Washington and the messages are not to be in- terrupted by atmospheric . disturb- ances or interference by neighboring stations. The asked for bids for two sets of appar- atus to be installed on naval vessels, to be capable of transmitting mes- sages to and from a distance of 1,000 miles, and to receive messages from the Washington station at a distance of 3,000 miles at all times. No less than seven firms submitted bids for the station, the most satisfac- tory of these probably being that of the National Electric Signalling Co,, of Pittsburg, Pa., which offered to furnish the tower and apparatus for $182,000. However, there are _ fea- tures of some of the other bids sub- mitted, which include ideas not men- tioned in the specifications, which may receive consideration when the award is made. SIX MONTHS' SHIP BUILDING. The bureau of navigation reports 528 sail and steam vessels of 47,250 gross tons 'built in 'the United States and officially numbered during the six months ended Dec. 31, 1907, as. fol- lows: Wood Steel Sail Steam: Sail Steam-- --Total-- No. Gross: "No. Gross: No. Gross. No. Gross. No Gross. Atlantic <and ~Gulf....... 77 16,022 201 4,611 3 2,802 13 10,369 294 33,804 WOntG RICO. ice he sai oc 4 AQ es, spon tas Re ae pee a 42 PAcihiey rs oo: Bs i eta 7 61 84 TA OA Sa RE GR Ee hE OS beg 91 7,485 PTA Wate red a we ticeteines Silane lene Boe al Soe uee 58 pe Gee Great. aes ee ie ee ee cies > 41 652 he ee 2,987 51 3,639 Western Rivers' cso. ewe Ue 85 By 33.55..; sete ! 147 88 2,280 POCA hee ew cls occa eae y ws 88 16,125 411 14,820 3 2,802 26 13,503 528 27,250 number of exceptions to the rule are made, information being furnished for the guidance of masters; but in no case do the exceptions cover water routes of the Pacific or tributary tide water bodies. During the corresponding six months ended Dec. 31, 1907, 575 sail and steam vessels of 259,974 gross tons were built in the Unitel States and officially numbered, as follows: W ood --Steel Sail Steam Sail Steam-- --Total-- No. Gross. No. Gross: No. Gross,. No. Gross. No. Gross. Atlantic and Gulf....... Os 19.9100 171 6200 1 65. 34 53.167 271 76,752 Porto Rico 62.26. oS. 2 HS ee dy 2 14 OCHO oie a tices Ceistpanes 8 2,445 117 Toate kee 3 11,201 128 26,887 Beware re ee ee ee Great. fares 6 7h65 ih; coer, 4 52 46 BB6is 5 PON 31 151,272 81 153,591 Western Rivers ...20.:0. + kG 92 2189. ie 1 541 93 2,730 To oe ae OS ey a 0 Maal Pokey eck. 79 39,830" 426 * 23;900..-1 63 69 216,181 575... 2599 No. Gross. Gta Calsudat veap 19076. eg cc ce cv ew vac e's 1,056 502,508 een corel dar wear 1900. Ge. 6 ie scl. uate fs yale be tlc ves 1912 287,603 Loss ore tere rere eer eee ererereres 214,905 eee eee oe ee eee et eee department has also . po