CREATION OF A NAVY.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1685, 15 June 1904, Page 73 (Supplement)

CREATION OF A NAVY.

JAPAN’S WORK OF THIRTY YEARS.

BRITISH AND AMERICAN MODELS,

Tlio successful administration and organisation of the Japanese navy have aroused a very definite curiosity in regard to the methods which they have adopted and applied to satisfy the special conditions imposed by their environment, ' Iraditions and racial instincts. Thoroughness and preparation seem to be the' keynotes of their system, and when these qualities are found allied with high intelligence, devoted patriotism, capacity for self-sacrifice and contempt of death, the result must be nearly rounded and complete.

The first important step taken by the imperial navy was the establishment of I the Naval College at Tokio, in 1873, and Ihe employment, until 1882, by permission of the British Government, of a number cf instructors drawn from the executive and engineering branches of the British fleet. At the same time a few selected students were sent abroad, and during a period of nearly twenty years Japan had, at intervals, cadets under training at the Annapolis Naval Academy. The high Japanese official wfio supplies the substance of this article declares that “the 6.ystem of education was thorough and substantial and has formed the backbone of the present imperial navy.” Since 1883, the Japanese have conducted their own war schools of instruction and have trained a personnel that is surely remarkable. The number of officers and men voted for the peace establishment of the imperial Japanese navy was as follows: —Offices, 2294; warrant officers, 1057; petty officers and seamen, etc., 39,821; officers and men in the reserve —officers of naval reserve, 170; warrant officers, 108; and petty officers and men, 6343. The marine infantry and artillery were organised at first, but were abolished in 1876. . The officers? of the imperial navy are divided into two classes—first, naval officers (executive), and second, officers holding relative ranks with naval officers. ' . ~" The list of naval officers includes: —Admirals, vice-admirals, rear admirals, captains, commanders, lieutenants, sub-lieu-tenants, midshipmen, naval cadets, gunners and boatswains. The grades ,»f officers holding relative ranks are engineers, surgeons, paymasters, ordnance engineers, naval constructors, hydrographical engineers, carpenters and. bandmasters. * - -

THE NAVAL OFFICERS (EXECUTIVE) Naval- cadets are appointed through

competitive examination and are open to the sons of all Japanese subjects. The entrance examination is at present held in the nineteen principal towns of Japan, under supervision of the Superintendent of the Naval College. The number of cadets required for the year is previously gazetted by the Minister of Marine, and the requisitions for prospective vacancies are made on the Superintendent of the Naval Cqllege through the local authorities within a specified timit of time. The candidates must not be under sixteen nor oyer twenty years of age, and they are divided into two groups. Candidates who have passed the course of the middle schools are examined in mathematics, Japanese composition, English and Chinese, but a candidate who has not passed the middle school curriculum is examined in the following subjects:—Japanese com position, mathematics, English, Chinese, geography, history, physics, chemistry and drawing, and if candidates desire they may also be examined in French, German or. Russian. All candidates have to pass a medical examination before they, may go up for the competitive examination. Successful candidates become naval cadets, and. are ordered to join the Naval College at ifetajima, on the Inland Sea. near the Eure naval station. 'travelling expenses to the Naval College are paid and everything isi provided at the college by the Government. The cadets remain in the Naval College for three years, and are instructed in seamanship, navigation, the higher mathematics, English,' physics, chemistry, gunnery and torpedoes, steam engineering, etc. They are then appointed to u sea-going training ship as midshipmen, provided they have passed the final examination successfully. After eight months* sea cruising the midshipmen are examined in what they have learned on board and transferred to commissioned ships, generally among the ships of the squadron, and after four months, if favourably recommended by the captains of their ship, are commissioned as sublieutenants.

j Promotions of naval officers are made I entirely by selection, and the list of | candidates is decided by the Board of Admirals, which meets once a year. The proper members of the Board number eight or nine, but when they sit to decide the list of promotions the Minister of Maj rine presides and the commanders in i chief of all naval stations and of the ! squadron, with the senior officers of difi ferent branches, such as engineers and j medical corps, etc., are added.. Officers j that have been on duty for the number of ; years corresponding to the respective ! ranks set down are eligible for nominaj tion Sub-lieutenants, one year; lieutenj ants (junior grade), two years; lieutenants, five years; commanders, two years; captains (junior grade), two years; captains, two years; rear - admirals, three years.

ENGINEER OFFICERS.

Tlie appointments of engineer students are made in tlie same manner as those of the naval cadets, but the age of candidates must not be under sixteen nor over twentyone years. A student joins the Naval llingineei's’ College at Yokosuka and remains there three years and four months. The students go through a course of advanced mathematics, physics, chemistry, theory of steam engine, etc., anu receive practical training in the engineering workshops of the Yokosuka dockyard, and instruction in iron shipbuilding, marine engines and boilers, the use of the instruments employed in the engine room and in the construction and working of electric lights and of the torpedo machinery. I Students passing successlully the final examination become probationary assistant engineers in the navy and are appointed to a seagoing training ship, on board of which they receive practical training. After eight months of this training tney are examined and commissioned as assistant engineers. The succeeding steps of promotion is by selection, as in the case of the executive officers, to the grade of engineer, chief and fleet engineer, inspec- i tor of machinery, and, last, inspector gen- j eral of machinery e

Candidates for the medical branch! * of the navy are required to pass a ‘ professional examination! before they go up for their competitive examinations. The latter include medicine, surgery, science and modern languages. Successful candidates become probationary assistant surgeons in the navy and then join the Naval Medical College for instruction. They remain there not less than one year, and, after passing at the college .successfully, they are first appointed to the hospitals of different naval stations, and after certain periods of time, when favourably recommended by the Superintendent of Hospitals, they are commissioned. as assistant surgeons. The succeeding steps of promotion are by selection and the grades are surgeon®, staff and fleet surgeons, surgeon inspectors and surgeon generals. Kufr geon® are also appointed from among the graduates of the imperial universities without the examination in science. Probationary assistant paymasters are taken by competitive examination after successfully passing tne medical examination, and must not be under twenty nor over thirty years of age. Successful candidates join the paymaster training school* receive a course of instruction for eight? months, and after examination are appointed to commissioned ships for practical experience. After four months, if favourably recommended, they become assistant paymasters and pass by stepg ‘through the grades of paymaster, chief, staff and fleet paymasters, paymaster inspectors and paymaster generals. Payi> masters are also appointed from among the graduates of the imperial universities and those of the Higher Commer-i cial School in Tokio. NAVAL CONSTRUCTORS AND OTHERS.

Every;, year a certain number of tii'©» students in tlie Imperial University, of Naval Architects can make application! for appointment, and if successful in examinations they become navy students, and continue their study at the expense of the navy. On graduation they are appointed assistant naval and are promoted by selection to navaJG constructor, chief, inspector and inspector general of naval constructors. Ordnance engineers are appointed in, l the same manner as the naval constructors, or are drawn from naval officers and engineers, who often change into this branch by special appointment. Students are taught at the Hydrographic Office as hydrographic engineers the theory and practice of surveys, etc., and are appointed assistants after successful examination. They can reach the grade corresponding to the rank of captain (junior grade). A® this profession can be performed by the naval officers, the continuation of this branch for the future is in doubt.

The warrant officers of the executive line are either gunners or gunners or torpedo gunners, and must be qualified as gunnery or torpedo instructors before promotion. The non-execu-tive branches holding relative ranks ai ; e engine-room artificers, bandmasters, carpenters, writers and nurses. They are all promoted from the chief petty officers of their respective corps, after having served at least two years at sea and having passed the required examinations successfully. A warrant officer who has super-excellent ability may, after six years’ service, be promoted to chief warrant officer with the rank of sub-lieute-nant. Chief warrant officers that have long and meritorious service receive the rank of lieutenants (junior grade) when they are transferred to the reserve by reason of age. Petty officers and men. are divided into the same classes as warrant officers and petty officers, -except that ships’ writers arc appointed from the men.

Examinations for the promotion, of petty officers and men are held _ twice each year, and eligibility for this examination .depends upon the following lengths of sea service: —Tatty officer®— \ Third-class, one year as leading seamett;

second-class, one year as third-class petty officers; first-class or chief petty officer, one and a half years as second-class petty officers. Men—'Petty officers, leading seamen or first-class men; able seamen or secopd-class men, and ordinary seamen or third-class men are examined in April and October. Boys are examined in May aid November. . APPRENTICES.

Boys are trained in the barracks of the naval station for the first four months and are then sent to seagoing training ships for at least two months, wnen they are distributed among the ships of the fleet. From among able seamen and upward to the first class petty officers certain men are selected and examined to become seamen gunners and torpedo men and the successful candidates are trained at the gunnery and torpedo training stations at Yokosuka respectively,. For s-ea-nien gunners there are three lands of courses of instruction: —First, a course for seamen gunners; second, a course for gunnery instructors; third, recapitulation or short course.

The same method is followed with torpedo men and torpedo instructors, etc. Stokers, carpenter’s crew and blacksmith fire brought up in the same manner as Beamon and are trained at the artificers training station at similar periods of their service/ Further 'details for the education of other branches of petty officers and men may be omitted, as the system is quite similar to that provided for the seamen class. A few lines may, however, be added to explain the naval officers’ and engineers’ advanced study at the Naval Academy. , . _ The naval academy is located at Tokio and is conducted by a i ear-admiral superintendent, with a number of officer instructors of different ranks and a corps of professors. The officer students are divided into the following classes: —Officers' long course, two years; officers’ short course, one year; optional course, one year; engineers’ long course, two years; engineers’ short course, one year. Officer students are nominated annually by the -commanders in chief of naval stations and squadrons and by other officers who have equal responsibilities, according to notice given by the Minister of Marine. Candidates for the long course must he in good health, have a good service record, good judgment and expert knowledge of their profession. They must have performed se.a duty for a period of at least three years. Candidates for the short oourse are taken from the list of lieutenants who are especially fitted for gunnery, torpedo or navigation duty.