"Naval Administration" by Sir Vesey Hamilton
"Naval Administration" by Sir Vesey Hamilton


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"Naval Administration" by Sir Vesey Hamilton, G.C.B. (1896)



APPENDIX II.

THE ORDERS IN COUNCIL.

In Part I, Chapter III, the text of the Admiralty Patent is given. The following are the several Orders in Council modifying the constitution of the Board, or under which, conjointly with the Patent, the Admiralty is now administered.

A. - ORDER IN COUNCIL, 14TH JANUARY, 1869.

The Constitution of the Admiralty Board and the Position of the Controller.

WHEREAS we have had under our consideration the present recognised constitution of the Board of Admiralty, the position occupied by the Controller of the Navy in regard to the Board, and the general transaction of business at the Admiralty offices.

The Board of Admiralty, as hitherto, consisted of -
The First Lord, receiving four thousand five hundred a year (£4,500);
Four Naval Lords, at a salary of one thousand (£1,000) a year each, with allowances and a house, or twelve hundred a year without a house; and
The Civil Lord, who receives one thousand (£1,000) a year only;
The First or Parliamentary Secretary receives two thousand (£2,000) a year, with allowances and a house.
The Second or Permanent Secretary receives fifteen hundred (£1,500) a year, with allowances and a house.
The Secretaries have jointly charge of the Secretariat, and the First Secretary has important duties in Parliament in connection with the Department.

We most humbly beg leave to propose to your Majesty that, with a view of simplifying and facilitating the transaction of the business of the Department, and more effectually controlling naval expenditure, the office of Controller of your Majesty's Navy should be merged into that of the Third Lord, the office of Fourth Naval Lord being dispensed with.

The Board will then be constituted as follows:-
The First Lord of the Admiralty,
The First Naval Lord,
The Third Lord and Controller,
The Junior Naval Lord, and
The Civil Lord,
with the Parliamentary Secretary and the Permanent Secretary.

The First Lord being responsible to your Majesty and to Parliament for all the business of the Admiralty, the other members of the Board should act as his assistants in the transaction of the duties, which we propose should be divided into three principal branches:-

(a.) The First Naval Lord to be responsible to the First Lord of the Admiralty for the administration of so much of the business as relates to the "Personnel" of the Navy, and for the movement and condition of your Majesty's Fleet.
The Junior Naval Lord to assist the First Naval Lord in this division of the business.

(b.) The Controller of the Navy being, as we have proposed, the Third Lord, to be responsible to the First Lord of the Admiralty for the administration of so much of the business as relates to the "Matériel" of your Majesty's Navy, i.e., to the building and repairing of ships, to guns, and to naval stores.

(c.) The Parliamentary Secretary to be responsible to the First Lord of the Admiralty for the "Finance " of the Department, and the Civil Lord to act as an Assistant to the Secretary.

The Permanent Secretary should have the exclusive charge of the Secretariat, under the directions of the First Lord of the Admiralty.

The merging of the Controllership of the Navy in the office of the Third Lord, and the reduction of one of the Naval Lords, will effect a saving of two thousand five hundred pounds (£2,500) a year; but to mark the special responsibilities of the First Naval Lord and the Third Lord, we humbly propose that their salaries should be increased by five hundred (£500) a year each, with official residences, the other allowances to the members of the Board ceasing.

We are further of opinion that the Parliamentary Secretary should have the salary as hitherto apportioned to that appointment, but without a house or allowances.

And we beg leave most humbly to acquaint your Majesty that the Lords of the Treasury have signified their concurrence in the financial part of these arrangements.

B. - ORDER IN COUNCIL, 19TH MARCH, 1872.

The Comptroller of the Navy re-established, and a Naval Secretary appointed.

WHEREAS by your Majesty's Order in Council of the 14th day of January 1869, certain changes were effected in the constitution of the Board of Admiralty, the position occupied by the Comptroller of the Navy in regard to the Board, and the general transaction of business at the Admiralty Offices; and whereas it has become desirable to effect certain changes in the said order, we most humbly beg leave to propose to your Majesty that the said Order should be rescinded, and that-

I. The Board should, in future, be constituted as follows:-
The First Lord of the Admiralty,
The First Naval Lord,
The Second Naval Lord,
The Junior Naval Lord,
The Civil Lord.

II. That there should be three Secretaries, to be called
The Parliamentary Secretary,
The Permanent Secretary,
The Naval Secretary.

III. That the office of Comptroller of the Navy be re-established, as an office to be held for a fixed period by an officer not a member of the Board, and that the Comptroller be assisted by a permanent officer, to be called Deputy Comptroller and Director of Dockyards, whose duties shall be mainly concentrated on the management of the dockyards.

IV. The First Lord to be responsible to your Majesty and to Parliament for all the business of the Admiralty, the business to be transacted in three principal divisions:-

(a.) The First Naval Lord, the Second Naval Lord, and the Junior Naval Lord to be responsible to the First Lord of the Admiralty for the Administration of so much of the business relating to the "Personnel" of the Navy, and to the movement and condition of your Majesty's Fleet, as shall be assigned to them or each of them, from time to time, by the First Lord.

(b.) The Comptroller to be responsible to the First Lord for the administration of so much of the business as relates to the "Matériel" of your Majesty's Navy, the Comptroller to have the right to attend the Board, and to explain his views whenever the First Lord shall submit to the Board, for their opinion, designs for ships, or any other matters emanating from the Comptroller's Department.

(c.) The Parliamentary Secretary to be responsible to the First Lord for the Finance of the Department, and for so much of the other business of the Admiralty as may be assigned to him.

(d.) The Civil Lord, the Permanent Secretary, and the Naval Secretary to have such duties as shall be assigned to them by the First Lord.

We humbly propose that the Second Naval Lord shall have a salary of £ 1,200 a year, and that the Naval Secretary shall have a salary of £1,500 a year and a house, or an allowance of £200 in lieu of a house; and We beg leave most humbly to acquaint your Majesty that the Lords Commissioners of your Majesty's Treasury have signified their concurrence in the financial part of these arrangements, and We further recommend that these arrangements shall begin to take effect on the 19th day of April, 1872.

C. - ORDER IN COUNCIL, 9TH AUGUST, 1872.

Orders to the Accountant-General for the Payment of Money, The Parliamentary Secretary to Sign.

WHEREAS by your Majesty's Order in Council of the 19th day of March, 1872, certain changes were effected in the constitution of the Board of Admiralty, and in the number and functions of the officers of the Board, and it was thereby (among other things) provided, that there should be three Secretaries to the Board, one to be called the Parliamentary Secretary, who was to be responsible to the First Lord of the Admiralty for the Finance of the Department; and whereas it is the long established practice of the Admiralty that all orders for payment of money, directed to the Accountant-General of your Majesty's Navy, should be signed by two of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty; and whereas, regard being had to your Majesty's said Order in Council, it seems to us expedient that an alteration should now be made in that practice; we, therefore, most humbly beg leave to propose to your Majesty that, for the future, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty may sign, in lieu of one of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, any order for payment of money directed to the Accountant-General of your Majesty's Navy.

We beg leave to represent to your Majesty that the Lords Commissioners of your Majesty's Treasury have signified their concurrence in this proposal.

D. - ORDER IN COUNCIL, 10th MARCH, 1882.

Re-constitution of the Board of Admiralty.

WHERAS by your Majesty's Order in Council of the 19th day of March 1872, certain changes were effected in the constitution of the Board of Admiralty, among which changes it was provided that the office of Comptroller of your Majesty's Navy was to be held for a fixed period by an officer not a member of the Board of Admiralty; and whereas it was also provided that there should be a Naval Secretary as well as a Permanent Secretary to the Board of Admiralty; and whereas it has become desirable that the officer filling the post of Comptroller of your Majesty's Navy should, during such period as may from time to time he sanctioned by your Majesty's Letters Patent, notwithstanding the said Order in Council, he appointed to be an additional Naval Lord of the Admiralty, and that during such time an additional Civil Lord of the Admiralty may be appointed who shall possess special mechanical and engineering knowledge as well as administrative experience to assist the Comptroller in the administration of the matériel of your Majesty's Navy; and whereas it is not necessary in our opinion that there should be more than one Secretary to the Board of Admiralty in addition to the Parliamentary Secretary, we most humbly beg leave to propose to your Majesty:

1. That the officer filling the post of Comptroller of your Majesty's Navy may, notwithstanding the said Order in Council, be appointed an additional Naval Lord of the Admiralty.

2. That during the time that the officer holding the post of Comptroller of your Majesty's Navy is appointed to be an additional Naval Lord of the Admiralty, an additional Civil Lord of the Admiralty may be appointed. Such additional Civil Lord shall possess special mechanical and engineering knowledge, as well as experience in the superintendence of large private establishments; he shall assist the Comptroller in the business relating to the matériel of your Majesty's Navy, and perform so much of the said business as shall from time to time be assigned to him by the First Lord of the Admiralty.

3. That neither the appointment of additional Naval Lord of the Admiralty nor that of additional Civil Lord of the Admiralty shall be held by a member of either House of Parliament.

4. That there shall, upon a vacancy occurring in the office of Naval Secretary, be, besides the Parliamentary Secretary, only one other Secretary to the Board of Admiralty, who shall he called the Permanent Secretary.

5. We humbly propose that the additional Civil Lord shall have a salary of £2,000 a year, and the Permanent Secretary a salary of £l,800 a year and a house, or an allowance of £200 a year in lieu of a house. In the event of the office of Permanent Secretary being held by a naval officer, such officer shall not be allowed half or retired pay or other naval allowances.

6. We beg leave most humbly to acquaint your Majesty that the Lords Commissioners of your Majesty's Treasury have signified their concurrence in the financial part of these arrangements.

E. - ORDER IN COUNCIL, 18TH NOVEMBER, 1885.

The Accountant-General to act as Deputy and Assistant of the Financial Secretary.

WHEREAS by an Order in Council of the 13th day of October, 1832, the functions of the Accountant-General of the Navy were defined, and whereas by your Majesty's subsequent Orders in Council of the 14th day of January, 1869, and 19th day of March, 1872, certain alterations were approved by your Majesty in the constitution of the Board of Admiralty, affecting its financial arrangements, by the appointment of the Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to be responsible to the First Lord of the Finance of the Department; and whereas it is, in our opinion, desirable to afford him assistance in the discharge of these important duties, we would humbly recommend to your Majesty the appointment of the Accountant-General of the Navy to act as an assistant to the Financial Secretary,

We are most humbly of opinion that while the Executive Departments of the Admiralty should continue to be held primarily responsible for keeping a careful watch upon the expenditure they recommend or incur, the Accountant-General should be authorized to act under the Parliamentary and Financial Secretary as his Deputy and Assistant.

With this object he should be charged under the Parliamentary and Financial Secretary with the preparation of the Naval Estimates; with financially reviewing the expenditure under those estimates; with advising or deciding as to any redistribution of votes or transfers which may from time to time he found necessary; with satisfying himself that such expenditure is properly allowed and brought to account; with advising on all questions affecting naval expenditure; and that he should not only be made acquainted with expenditure after it has been incurred, but be regarded as the officer to be consulted on all matters involving an expediting of Naval Funds.

We therefore most humbly submit that your Majesty will be graciously pleased to sanction this arrangement.


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