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70 Newberry scheme, there was one manu- facturing department under the control of a naval constructor as manager. The naval constructors are officers selected from the line soon after they leave the naval academy. They are then given a post graduate course in engineering and shipbuilding at the best technical schools in the world and their service is at the navy yards and the private shipyards. They are certainly the best fitted officers in the navy to manage the industrial navy yards. Some of the constructors have made excellent reputations as en- gineers and shipbuilders and a number have left the service to accept important positions at high salaries in some of the large private establishments. The naval constructor - managers were surrounded by line officers who were supposed to see that the work was done properly. Meyer's Crowning Achievement. On July 1, the following-order was issued by Mr. Meyer: "When orders for work under the Bureau of Steam Engineering are received from the De- partment or when such work is author- ized by the commandant, the inspector of machinery will, with the approval of the commandant, indicate. the labor, tools and material to be furnished by the manager. This labor, tools and ma- terial will then be under the full control of the inspector of machinery and he becomes responsible for the direct cost and correct execution of the work or- dered." ae Who could have devised such an or- der? Probably one of the admirals, who is now designated as an "aide" to the secretary of the navy. Perhaps it was the admiral who, as an aide to the sec- retary, is to direct the industrial work of the navy. It surely. reads as if it were written by an admiral, but an ap- prentice boy in one of the shops he con- trolled could have told him that it is an absurdity--an impossibility. No sane business man, familiar with shop man- agement, would have permitted such an order to be issued. Outlining the Situation. Here is the situation: A manager in full control of the shops of the navy yard with a complete organization of superintendents and foremen. A _ large amount of work is authorized on a ship at the yard and the inspector of machin- ery is to designate the tools, labor and material required. When is he to do this? If a drill press is needed, is the work to wait until the inspector des- ignates the machine to the manager? Are these machines designated to be used for no other purpose than the work under the inspector of machinery? The laborers are under the full control of the inspector after he has designated The Marine REVIEW them. What a situation! What an awful mess of shop discipline and or- ganization results! The manager fixes the wages, of the men, advances them, discharges them, reduces them, but yet while on this particular bit of drilling or whatever it may be, they are under the "full control" of the inspector! The men are subject to the manager's reg- ulations for part of the day and then are under the orders and_ regulations of the inspector for the remainder of the day. But what about the superin- tendents and foremen? They must take orders and instructions from two sources and it is needless to say that these orders are not harmonious. They could not be under such regulations. Who but a crazy man would permit such a division of authority and destruction of discipline in any commercial shop? It will be noted that the inspector 'is responsible for the direct cost of the work, while the manager is responsible for the indirect cost. If the manager by additional supervision or better tools or devices reduces the direct cost, the inspector claims the credit and exclaims against the high indirect costs. If on the other hand the inspector is taken to task for high direct costs, he claims that lack of proper tools or supervision was the cause. This is the navy way-- arrange it somehow so there will be no responsibility; fix it up so that when there is trouble all can escape by putting if on the other fellow. The Wonderful Swift Board. The great improvement (?) on the Newberry scheme, which is outlined above, continued. from July 1, 1909, to Dec. 1, 1909 During this period the wonderful Swift board was in session. This board was composed entirely of line officers who knew nothing of in- dustrial management; yet this board, on which the only branch of the naval service that is skilled at all in engineer- ing and shop management was not rep- resented by even a single individual, was charged with the duty of proposing reg- ulations for the organization and man- agement of navy yards! There were various rumors that great changes would take place as a result of the delibera- tions of the Swift board. Those who had their ears to the ground were told that it was fixed for the line--that there would be plenty of soft shore berths for the line officers and then, when the scheme was working, a demand would be made on Congress for more officers and that the increase would be in the higher grades which would provide pro- motion for everybody. It was a sure tip. It has all come to pass and the line officers are flooding the navy yards. From four to eight additional officers have been ordered to the manu facturing February, 1919 department in each navy yard and the cost is not less than $30,000 additional each year in salaries, without one iota of increase in the amount of work done at the yard or in its efficiency. Are Not Even Amateur Engineers, The public has been told how officers, trained as sea going engineers, must control the machinery work in the navy yards. "Examine: the. records of) ai officers recently ordered to the yards and it will be seen that they are not even amateur engineers. They are most- ly commanders and _ lieutenants, lately commanding some of our antiquated gun boats or small torpedo boats. They hardly know what the inside of a shop looks like and as for management, they don't know what the word means in an industrial sense. 'The writer recently visited one of the navy yards to find out for himself and spent several days, meeting a number of the new officers. They are clean cut youngsters who no doubt can do very well as watch officers or commanding officers of torpedo boats, but they know absolutely nothing about the jobs they are now in. They are not even trained aS marine engineers, as an officer is now called in the navy if he has served a few months in the engine room. These officers are to manage large shops and large bodies of men, with pay ° rolls amounting to millions each year. I be- lieve that many of these officers know that they are out of place and would like to get out of the job, but they must never say so--it is the line policy to grab all the shore stations possible. It seems as if the next step is now to be taken and Congress is to be told that the battle ships cannot go to sea unless - additional officers are provided in the higher grades. What a game; more soft snaps ashore, more officers in the higher grades, promotion for all and more millions of the people's money wasted! Is Congress Seeing Through the Game? Can it be possible that Congress is to be fooled again? There are signs that Congress is beginning to see through the game. Look deeper, Mr. Congressman; take the lid off; let the people who know, tell; make them tell; the writer has knowledge that there are officers in the navy who know just how rotten the situation is in the navy yards. Make these men tell; order an investigation by joint resolution. Call navy yard officers and cross examine them. Em- ploy competent engineers and shipbuild- ers from civil life to go into the navy yards and investigate and report what they find. If this is done, every sem- blance of military control of navy yards: will be torn out by the roots and ef-