[No. 23.]

WARRANT OFFICERS, MARINE CORPS.

NAVY DEPARTMENT, Washington, December 9, 1920.

MY DEAR MR. BUTLER: I have the honor to recommend that you introduce a bill reading, as follows:

That warrant officers of the Marine Corps shall be commissioned chief warrant officers under the same conditions, and shall have the same rank, pay, allowances, and other benefits, as are now or may hereafter be prescribed by law for commissioned warrant officers of the Navy. That pay clerks are graded as warrant officers with the same rank, pay, allowances, and other benefits as are above provided for other warrant officers of the Marine Corps: Provided, That nothing herein contained shall be construed to reduce the pay, allowances, emoluments, or any other benefits that any person now in the service would have received but for the passage of this act.

The purpose of this legislation is to place warrant officers of the Marine Corps in the same status as regards rank, pay, allowances, and other benefits as warrant officers of the Navy enjoy. Similar proposed legislation failed of passage last year; it is recommended again in order that justice may be done to these officers.

Hon. THOMAS S. BUTLER,

Chairman Naval Affairs Committee,

10950-21-No. 23.

JOSEPHUS DANIELS.

House of Representatives.

[No. 24.]

FLEET NAVAL RESERVE, TRANSFER TO AFTER SIXTEEN YEARS' SERVICE.

NAVY DEPARTMENT, Washington, December 10, 1920.

MY DEAR MR. SPEAKER: Enlisted men of the Navy under existing law are eligible for transfer to the Fleet Naval Reserve on the day that 16 years' continuous service is completed. If they do not transfer on that day, they must wait until 20 years' service shall have been completed.

In my opinion, the law should be more flexible and should be so worded that men may transfer to the Fleet Naval Reserve at any time after the completion of 16 years' service and before the completion of 20 years' service, but when so transferred they shall receive the pay which they would have received had they retired upon the completion of 16 years' service. This will simplify administrative details and will result in trained men staying in active service for a longer time, as it is altogether natural that many men would take a year or two more of active service after the completion of 16 years' service if they know they can transfer at any time to the Fleet Naval Reserve.

To accomplish the above, the following wording is respectfully suggested:

That the Secretary of the Navy is authorized to transfer to the Fleet Naval Reserve at any time within his discretion, any enlisted man of the naval service with 16 or more years' naval service: Provided, That men so transferred with less than 20 years' service shall receive the retainer pay now prescribed by law for transferred members of the Fleet Naval Reserve of 16 years' naval service.

[No. 25.]

TO AUTHORIZE THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES TO CLASSIFY AND NAME THE VESSELS IN THE NAVY.

DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY,
Washington, December 10, 1920.

MY DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: There is inclosed herewith a copy of letter, with draft of bill, this day sent to the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Sincerely, yours,

JOSEPHUS DANIELS,

Secretary of the Navy.

The CHAIRMAN COMMITTEE ON NAVAL AFFAIRS,

House of Representatives.

DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY,

Washington, December 10, 1920.

MY DEAR MR. SPEAKER: There is inclosed herewith a proposed draft of a bill to authorize the President of the United States to classify and name the vessels in the Navy, which is respectfully submitted for your consideration.

Under the provisions of section 1531 of the Revised Statutes of the United States the Secretary of the Navy, under the direction of the President, is authorized to name the vessels of the Navy according to the following rule:

Sailing vessels of the first class shall be named after the States of the Union; those of the second class, after the rivers; those of the third class, after the principal cities and towns; and those of the fourth class, as the President may direct.

Steamships of the first class shall be named after the States of the Union; those of the second class, after the rivers and principal cities and towns; and those of the third class, as the President may direct.

Under the provisions of the act approved May 4, 1898 (30 Stat., 390), Congress directed that-

Hereafter all first-class battleships and monitors owned by the United States shall be named for the States and shall not be named for any city, place, or person until the names of the States shall have been exhausted: Provided, That nothing herein contained shall be so construed as to interfere with the names of States already assigned to any such battleship or monitor.

The following provision of the act approved March 3, 1901 (31 Stat., 1133), however, clearly supersedes the provisions of the acts above quoted and authorizes the President to classify naval vessels in any manner that he may direct:

That the President of the United States be, and he is hereby, authorized to establish and from time to time to modify, as the needs of theservice may require, a classification of vessels of the Navy and to formulate appropriate rules governing assignment to command of vessels and squadrons.