NAVAL PROPERTIES 67. The bureau's list of properties owned, leased, or occupied for naval purposes shows 935 such properties at this time. The list includes office rooms, rights of way, storage spaces, landings, unoccupied reservations, etc., numbering 712, leaving 223 properties being used for the more active purposes of the service. Properties owned number 465, properties leased 312, and properties occupied by permit 158. It was proposed last year to dispose of 23 owned properties no longer required for naval purposes, but the necessary legislative authority was not granted. These properties will be recommended again for disposition this year. PUBLIC WORKS CONTRACTS 68. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 1924, there were awarded by the bureau 112 public works contracts, involving $3.678,934, as against 122, involving $7,827,197 during 1923. There were also entered into eight supplemental agreements involving $85,856, making a total net contract obligation of $3,764,790, exclusive of minor change orders. No cost-plus contracts were awarded during the fiscal year, all work being regularly advertised, competitive bids received, and award in all cases made to the lowest responsible bidder. SETTLEMENT OF WAR-TIME CONTRACTS 69. During the period the United States was engaged in the World War approximately 1,100 contracts for public works were made by this bureau. Of these all have been settled so far as action by the bureau is concerned, except seven. In two of these excepted cases the final payment is withheld at the request of the Department of Justice. In the other five cases the closing of the contracts has been deferred to enable the contractors to submit evidence in controverted points affecting the basis of settlement. It is anticipated that these five contracts will be finally disposed of within a comparatively short time. CIVIL ENGINEER CORPS 70. On September 1, 1922, the civil engineer corps consisted of 104 regular officers, excluding 2 carried as extra numbers. On September 1, 1923, this corps consisted of 98 regular officers, excluding one extra number. At the present time the corps consists of 96 officers, exclusive of the one extra number. During the last two years, therefore, we have lost eight regular numbers and one extra number, although the value of public works during the same period increased approximately $40,000,000. No appointments have been made to this corps since September, 1921. Although four ensigns have been detailed to the postgraduate school for the purpose of taking special training for duty in this corps, their services can not be availed of until June, 1927. As the authorized strength is 110 officers, there are 14 vacancies existing at the present time. Some relief can, therefore, be obtained if the department authorizes the filling of these vacancies. 71. The large increases made in public works and public utilities both during and following the World War have considerably multiplied the duties allotted to the officers of the civil engineer corps. It has been clearly demonstrated that the strength of the corps should be based on the amount of property to be maintained and new construction to be undertaken and not as a percentage of line officers of the Navy. The increases in the corps, made on the basis of the 2 per cent ratio fixed by the act of August 29, 1916, have been considerably smaller than the proportionate increases in the amount of work and duties that have devolved upon it. Under present conditions the strength of the corps should be not less than 3 per cent of the number of line officers instead of the 2 per cent that obtains at the present time. 72. I therefore recommend that the department authorize the filling of the vacancies in this corps and also that it endeavor to secure from Congress the authority to increase the authorized strength of this corps. BUREAU PERSONNEL 73. The personnel of the bureau, officer and civilian, during the fiscal year continued too limited numerically for the proper administration of the bureau's business. The force was decreased from 7 officers on regular bureau duty, including the chief and assistant chief of bureau, to 6, and from 99 civilians to 93, a reduction of approximately 6.6 per cent. As the force at the beginning of the year was insufficient, as stated in the annual report for last year, the further reduction was severely felt in view of the fact that the volume of work remained constant. The number of employees detailed from the Veterans' Bureau was five on June 30, 1924, and has since been further reduced to one, the work for that bureau having been practically completed. The average number a year ago was 35. 74. During the year the bureau found it necessary to continue to cause the preparation of various designs, drawings, and specifications at the navy yards and stations owing to the limited technical force of the bureau. The work could have been done at the bureau much more satisfactorily and economically, had its force been sufficient, because of the broader experience of the bureau engineers and the availability of accumulated data on engineering subjects. The increase of $48,790 granted by the act for 1925 to cover reclassification increases and supersede the bonus and for additional employees will be distributed approximately as follows: $25,890 for additional employees, $19,900 for reclassification, and $3,000 reserved. This addition to the bureau force will result in the more expeditious and economical performance of its work but will still leave the force below a desirable standard. The work must be done somewhere. If it can not be done in the bureau it must be done at the navy yards. It can be done more advantageously in the bureau. The bureau force should be numerically sufficient to do it. L. E. GREGORY, Chief of Bureau. REPORT OF CHIEF OF BUREAU OF NAVIGATION NAVY DEPARTMENT, BUREAU OF NAVIGATION, From: Chief of Bureau of Navigation. To: Secretary of the Navy. Subject: Annual report for the fiscal year 1924. July 17, 1924. There is submitted herewith the annual report of this bureau for the fiscal year 1924, comprising a synopsis of the activities of the bureau, the outstanding accomplishments of the bureau for the last fiscal year, and general information containing tables of possible interest. CHANGES IN CHIEFS OF BUREAU The following officers served as chief of this bureau during the fiscal year for the periods indicated: Rear Admiral Thomas Washington from July 1 to 27. SYNOPSIS OF ACTIVITIES The Bureau of Navigation is charged with all matters affecting the supply, discharge, education, administration, and discipline of the personnel of the Navy, as well as the operation of the Naval Home, Naval Academy, Hydrographic Office, and Naval Observatory. During the fiscal year earnest and careful study has been given to the personnel situation, and the bureau has made special effort to keep the service ashore and afloat fully informed of personnel conditions. Special effort has continued to be made to reduce discharges, other than honorable, and to keep at a minimum the turnover in enlisted personnel by urging those in authority to encourage and secure reenlistments of men already trained in the service. The results have been very encouraging. The detailed report of each division of the bureau follows: OFFICER PERSONNEL SYNOPSIS OF ACTIVITIES OF THIS SECTION Assignment to duty of all officers and preparation of their orders. Preparation of precepts for special boards ordered by the depart ment. Keeps records of usual residences of officers and addresses of officers on active duty. Compilation and publication of Naval Directory and Navy Register. Daily publication of orders to officers. Assignment of officer complements to ships and stations. Adjustment of demands for officer personnel in connection with the various postgraduate courses and officer-training schools. Compilation of general data on officer personnel; interpretation and application of laws affecting officer personnel. Issue of orders for officers for examination for promotion or for retirement; discharges, dismissals, retirements, deaths, and casualties to officers. Appointment, promotion, and precedence of officers; computation of distribution of officers in grades and rank. Issue of commissions and warrants; custody of officers' records; examination and filing of fitness reports; distribution of medals to officers. Detail of officers of foreign navies temporarily attached to United States Navy. DETAILED REPORT Generally speaking, the work of the Officer Personnel Division for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1924, has been of a routine nature. Lack of sufficient appropriation has been a handicap and an additional allotment of $50,000 was found necessary in order to meet the requirements of the service. It is unfortunate that officers' movements can not be gauged by the military necessities of the Navy rather than by the extent of the appropriations allotted for this purpose, but during the past year this has been the fact. Every possible effort has been made to curtail expenses, but in spite of all these efforts it was found necessary to request the additional sum of $50,000. There still exists a shortage of officers, and this is particularly felt in the grade of lieutenant. Obviously, this shortage reacts adversely on the efficiency of the Naval Establishment. Owing to the adoption of a policy this year that newly graduated ensigns should be assigned to service on board battleships and cruisers, it has become necessary to make an unusually large turnover in the junior officer personnel of battleships and cruisers in order to accommodate these newly graduated ensigns and in order to provide the necessary officer complements for other vessels of the fleet. It is recognized that this policy, although a most excellent one, will continue to result in a large turnover. In order, however, to minimize the ill effects of this turnover every effort is made by the bureau to maintain at least 30 ensigns on each battleship and the same ratio on the cruisers. The demand for officers for instruction in the various postgraduate courses, for service in aviation and in submarines has been met but only with very considerable effort both as regards economy and efficiency. If we had a reserve of officer personnel, this problem would be considerably simplified, but unfortunately there is no reserve of unemployed officers, and the officers necessary to fill classes at the War College and the postgraduate schools and those necessary to operate the submarine and aviation branches of the Navy must in the end be provided by the battleships. |
