CONGRESS MEDALS OF HONOR. SEPTEMBER 18, 1918.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed. Mr. PADGETT, from the Committee on Naval Affairs, submitted the following REPORT. [To accompany H. R. 12194.] The Committee on Naval Affairs, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 12194) to provide for the award of medals of honor, distinished-service medals, and Navy crosses, and for other purposes, having had the same under consideration, report the same back to the House with the recommendation that the bill do pass. This bill provides that the President be authorized to present, in the name of Congress, a medal of honor to any person who shall distinguish himself conspicuously by gallantry in action at the risk of his life beyond the call of duty and without detriment to the mission of his command. It also provides that the President shall present, but not in the name of Congress, a distinguished-service medal to any person who, while in the naval service, since the 6th day of April, 1917, has distinguished or shall hereafter distinguish himself by exceptionally meritorious service to the Government in a duty of great responsibility. The President is also authorized to present, but not in the name of Congress, a Navy cross of appropriate design to any person in the naval service who has distinguished since the 6th of April, 1917, or shall hereafter distinguish himself in the line of his profession, such heroism or service not being sufficient to justify the award of a medal of honor or a distinguished-service medal. Each enlisted or enrolled person of the naval service to whom is awarded a medal shall be entitled to additional pay at the rate of $2 per month. The bill provides that not more than one medal of honor or one distinguished-service medal or one Navy cross shall be issued to any one person; but the President may award a suitable bar or other suitable emblem or insignia for succeeding acts of heroism. Such bar or emblem shall entitle the person receiving it to an additional increase of pay at the rate of $2 per month. H R-65-2-vol 2-57 The bill gives authority to the Secretary of the Navy to expend money from the appropriation "Pay of the Navy" to defray the cost of the medals of honor, bars, emblems, etc. The bill limits the time within which such award of medal of honor, emblem, etc., shall be made to five years after the date of the act or service justifying the award. The bill is the same as the law approved July 9, 1918, providing for medals of honor for men of the Army, adapted to suit the needs of the naval service. The committee had before it Admiral L. C. Palmer, Chief of the Bureau of Navigation, and other officers of the Navy, who recommended the passage of the bill, and the committee is of the opinion that this bill will further increase the efficiency of the naval service. O NEW RATINGS IN THE NAVY. SEPTEMBER 18, 1918.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed. Mr. PADGETT, from the Committee on Naval Affairs, submitted the following REPORT. [To accompany H. R. 10849.] The Committee on Naval Affairs, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 10849) to establish certain new ratings in the United States Navy, having had the same under consideration, report the same back to the House with the following amendments, and as amended recommend that the bill do pass. Page 1, line 12, after the words "class, $30" and before the period, insert a semicolon and the following: Signal apprentice, first class, $27; signal apprentice, second class, $26; signal apprentice, third class, $25. Page 2, line 11, after the words "Navy may prescribe" change the colon to a period and strike out all of the proviso beginning on line 11 down to and including all of line 22, page 2. The bill establishes the ratings of torpedo men, signalmen, signal apprentices, and radio men. The committee had before it Admiral Palmer, Chief of the Bureau of Navigation, and other officers of the Navy on this bill who stated that the bill is necessary to take care of the increased duties and requirements of the service by reason of the The demands for efficient service are so great that men are needed who specialize on a particular subject and become proficient in that subject. If this bill becomes a law, the department can then detail men who are specially qualified in these branches to special duty in them, thereby permitting a man to devote all his time to one subject and thus increasing the efficiency of that branch. war. The following letter from the Acting Secretary of the Navy to the Speaker of the House of Representatives gives the reasons for its enactment: DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY, MY DEAR MR. SPEAKER: There is inclosed herewith a proposed draft of a bill to establish certain new ratings in the Navy. The establishment of these new ratings would not change in any way the number men or the pay, but the present war has illustrated the necessity of having expert torpedo men, signalmen, and radio men, and it is intended to give these new ratings to present gunner's mates, quartermasters, and electricians, who are now performing these special duties. The signalmen referred to in section 2 of the bill are not identical with the signal boys referred to in the last proviso, the difference being that the men who are to get the ratings and perform the duties of signalmen (now performed by quartermasters) have greater knowledge, experience, and executive ability, and would supervise the work of the signal boys (now being performed by seamen and landsmen detailed as signalmen). This proposed bill is recommended for your favorable consideration and that of the committee to which you may refer same with a view to its early enactment as a separate bill or as a part of some appropriate measure. Sincerely, yours, FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT, The SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. O CONGRESS, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. No. ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE IN THE NAVY. SEPTEMBER 18, 1918.-Referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be printed Mr. PADGETT, from the Committee on Naval Affairs, submitted the following REPORT. [To accompany H. R. 10747.] The Committee on Naval Affairs, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 10747) providing for the better administration of justice in the Navy, having had the same under consideration, report the same back to the House with the recommendation that the bill do pass. The committee had a hearing of officers from the Navy Department on this bill and it is the opinion of the committee that this bill is necessary in order that there may be no question as to the authority of courts-martial in trying and punishing men in the service and also officers who are invariably first dismissed from the service before commencing the period of confinement. The following letter from the Secretary of the Navy to the Speaker of the House of Representatives gives the views and recommendations of the Navy Department on this bill as well as the reasons for asking its enactment: DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY, MY DEAR MR. SPEAKER: I have the honor to transmit herewith a proposed draft of a bill "To provide for the better administration of justice in the Navy. In many cases of enlisted men sentenced by court-martial to confinement and dishonorable discharge the period of confinement extends far beyond the date when the enlistment of the man would in ordinary course terminate. It is extremely important that unhesitating obedience may be exacted of all persons serving sentences imposed by courts-martial, and in order to enforce such obedience it is highly desirable from the standpoint of naval discipline that naval courts-martial have complete jurisdiction to try and punish court-martial prisoners who commit offenses while serving confinement. The inclosed bill if enacted into law will also confer upon naval courts-martial express authority to try and punish officers sentenced to confinement who invariably are first dismissed from the service before commencing the period of confinement adjudged. The jurisdiction of a naval court-martial to punish prisoners of the classes mentioned; that is, (a) those whose term of enlistment has expired and (b) former officers who have been dismissed and are serving their terms of confinement, is not specifically covered in the law, and in order that no possible question may be raised as to the jurisdiction of such court in the cases mentioned, it is felt that express legislative authority therefor should be conferred by Congress. The inclosed draft of a bill is proposed to confer the necessary jurisdiction upon a naval court-martial. |