Letters were directed by the Secretary of the Navy to the governors of all States having seacoast, frontage on large lakes or navigable rivers, and to the governor of the Territory of Hawaii, suggesting the desirability of establishing Naval Militia organizations in their States and in the Territory of Hawaii. Laws have since been passed in the State of Texas and in the Territory of Hawaii authorizing the establishment of Naval Militia organizations. The commanding officers have been designated and the organizations are now in the process of formation. It is believed that every State and Territory having seacoast, frontage on large lakes or on navigable rivers should have a naval militia, and it is hoped that necessary steps will be taken by the States and Territories to this end. On July 1, 1915, there were in the Naval Militia 606 officers and 7,706 enlisted men of varying efficiency. This shows an increase during the year of 10 officers and 574 enlisted men. The training of the Naval Militia is devoted to preparing both officers and enlisted men for service in the Navy in time of war. A systematic program of training is being carried out and it is believed that, in the Naval Militia, the Navy is building up a valuable reserve force. A separate detailed report of the Division of Naval Militia Affairs will be published. HYDROGRAPHIC OFFICE. The reproduction of foreign charts upon the plates of the Hydrographic Office has made considerable progress, much more so than in any previous year, and the outlook for increasing this work is better than ever before. The number of new charts published during the year was 242. Excellent work has been done in the publication and preparation for publication of volumes of sailing directions. During the year 12 new volumes of sailing directions have been turned over to the Public Printer and 6 additional new volumes are in process of preparation. Also new editions of charts and station catalogues and light lists were published, and a complete series of index charts were well advanced toward completion. The office has kept four surveying ships in the field and topographic parties in the Samoan Islands and in the vicinity of the naval station at Guantanamo Bay. The survey of the Atlantic approaches to the Panama Canal has been completed and new charts issued for that work, and also of the canal. The surveys of the coast and shoals of Nicaragua, the northern coast of the Republic of Panama, the south coast of Cuba, and various areas about the Haitian coast have progressed satisfactorily, notwithstanding the occasional detail of the surveying vessels for gunboat duties in Haitian waters. The Hydrographic Office cooperated with the Coast Guard Service from February until July in keeping shipping informed of the ice conditions in the vicinity of the steamship lanes of the north Atlantic, and the beneficient effects of the information transmitted to the merchant service through this cooperation were of great assistance to vessels navigating those waters. NAVAL OBSERVATORY. The Naval Observatory, in conjunction with the chronometer and time station at Mare Island, the Navy radio stations, and the telegraph companies, has furnished the people of the United States and the navigators of ships on the adjacent oceans twice each day throughout the year with accurate standard time. It has had computed and prepared for publication by the Nautical Almanac Office, for use of navigators, astronomers, and surveyors, the American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac and the American Nautical Almanac, and it has kept up continuous astronomical observations for supplying data for the same. The Navy, and the Revenue-Cutter and Lighthouse Services have been kept supplied with nautical instruments, including gyro-compasses, the purchase, inspection, repair, and issue of which has been done by or through the Naval Observatory, the repair-shop force and facilities of which have been increased so that now practically all repairs to instruments, excepting compasses and chronometers, are made at the Observatory much more satisfactorily and promptly and at less cost than previously when done by contract. The Observatory has acquired and set up the photographic zenith tube for the continuous determination of the variation of latitude hitherto maintained by the International Geodetic Association at Gaithersburg, Md., and has contracted for new and improved transmitting clocks for its time service. RADIO SERVICE. On the outbreak of the war abroad, the censorship of all radio stations under United States jurisdiction was delegated to the Secretary of the Navy by the President in order to carry out effectively the neutral policy of this Government, and in compliance with the President's order, instructions were drawn up with a view to maintaining the neutrality of the Government, while at the same time not imposing any hardship on commercial interests. Officers have been detailed as censors to various commercial stations, and the two high-power radio stations at Tuckerton, N. J., and Sayville, Long Island, which are capable of trans-Atlantic communication, have been taken over by the President's order for purposes of operation and control by the Navy. FISH COMMISSION. There are assigned to the vessels of the Fish Commission 10 officers and 115 enlisted men of the Navy. These officers and men are not authorized in addition to the regular allowed complement, and the Navy is making an annual expenditure of over $100,000 for their pay and subsistence. In view of the fact that the Navy is getting no return in services for the money thus expended, it would appear that this $100,000 is in reality an unfair charge against the Navy and should be borne by the Fish Commission. If it is not practicable to arrange for the Fish Commission to pay for the services of these men, it is suggested that the enlisted men might be allowed, in excess of the authorized quota, by the insertion of a clause in the appropriation bill placing men serving on Fish Commission ships in the same status as men serving on Naval Militia ships. THE COAST GUARD. Attention is invited to the act consolidating the Revenue-Cutter Service and the Life-Saving Service into one organization called the Coast Guard, passed by the last Congress. This was a step in the right direction toward utilizing the civil branches of the Government for the national defense. Under this law the Coast Guard is made a military branch of the Government, automatically becoming a part of the Navy in time of war. The President may at any time transfer the organization in whole or in part to the control of the Navy Department. This is a wise provision in the law, inasmuch as it permits of the Coast Guard being exercised with the Navy in time of peace in order that its officers may become familiar with their war duties and readily take them over without delay or confusion in the event of war. Preliminary steps have already been taken with the Treasury Department in order to perfect the organization for the duties required of it in war. There are other civil branches of the Government which have duties allied to those of the Navy, and which could render very valuable military service in war. These are the Lighthouse Service, the Coast Survey, and the Steamboat-Inspection Service. While the Navy would, no doubt, have the cooperation of these civil branches of the Government in the event of war, even a moderate degree of preparedness demands that there should be maintained between them and the Navy a closer relationship in time of peace than at present exists under the law. New legislation is necessary to place them in a position to be of real and practical value in the national defense, and it is believed that this could be accomplished in a manner satisfactory to the departments concerned. The subject is an important one and merits serious consideration. It may be mentioned in this connection that if these branches of the Government offered preferment for employment to honorably discharged men of the Navy who enlist in the Naval Reserve the inducement would, no doubt, tend to increase greatly the reserve. In the meantime, members of the reserve so employed would keep more in touch with the duties required of them in war and would be better prepared and sooner available than if employed in civil pursuits not connected with water craft. MEDALS OF HONOR. The naval appropriation act for the fiscal year 1916, approved March 3, 1915, contained a clause providing for the awarding of medals of honor to officers of the Navy, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard who distinguish themselves in battle or who display extraordinary heroism in the line of their profession. The desirability of this legislation was referred to in a special paragraph of my last annual report, and it remedies a condition which existed prior to the year 1915 in that both officers and enlisted men are now eligible to receive medals of honor for gallant or distinguished service. APPROPRIATIONS AND EXPENDITURES. During the past year a close check was kept on all expenditures under the appropriations under the cognizance of this bureau, and as a result a material saving has been made, the full amount appropriated having in no case been exceeded. The expenditures of the last year were approximately $110,000 less than the year before, and the expenditures during the fiscal years 1914 and 1915 amounted to approximately $790,000 less than the expenditures during the years 1912 and 1913. The principal items in which savings were effected were transportation, recruiting, and outfits on first enlistment. Although there were approximately 5,000 more men in the service in 1915 than in 1913, transportation expenses were reduced by $186,803.62, and although there were practically the same number of men in 1915 as in 1914, transportation expenses were reduced by $47,926.34. This saving was accomplished by taking advantage, as far as practicable, of Government transportation and restricting transfers of men to the absolute necessities of the service. The reduction in the expenditures due to recruiting and to outfits on first enlistments were brought about by the increased number of reenlistments, due to the liberal policy of the department in making the service attractive to the men, as well as to Congress in passing the Naval Reserve provision in the last appropriation bill. Before closing this report I desire to express my appreciation of the loyal support of the officers, clerks, and other employees of the bureau, all of whom when called upon have cheerfully rendered extra service made necessary by the increased volume of work brought upon the bureau by new legislation. The approval of the bureau's recommendation for an increase in the clerical force as well as in the pay of certain ratings would not only increase efficiency by giving an opportunity for advancement to the most efficient, but would also be a deserved recognition of long and faithful service of the employees. To the SECRETARY OF THE NAVY. TABLES. VICTOR BLUE, Comparison of enlistments, extensions, discharges, deaths, retirements, and desertions for the fiscal years 1914 and 1915. Comparative strength of enlisted personnel on June 30 of the fiscal years 1914 and 1915. Of the number rejected (78,369) the disqualifications of 425 were waived and they were enlisted in the number 17,704. Summary of enlistments. At recruiting stations... At naval stations in the United States.. In insular possessions... On board of receiving ships Total.. Enlistments. First enlistments. First reenlistments over 4 months from date of discharge.. Reenlistments within 4 months from date of discharge, under ordinary 17,918 1913 1914 1915 Total. 304 208 573 1,085 32 11 306 281 653 581 |