CHARLES E. PARSONS

JUNE 24, 1930.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House and ordered to be printed

Mr. BRITTEN, from the Committee on Naval Affairs, submitted the

following

REPORT

[To accompany H. R. 4940]

The Committee on Naval Affairs, to whom was referred the bill H. R. 4940 for the relief of Commander Charles E. Parsons, Supply Corps, United States Navy, having had the same under consideration, report favorably thereon without amendment and recommend that the bill do pass.

The purpose of this bill is to restore to Commander Charles E. Parsons, Supply Corps, United States Navy, a line running mate of the rank of captain.

The act of June 10, 1926, otherwise known as "An act to provide for the equalization of promotion of officers of the Staff Corps of the Navy with officers of the line," gave to staff officers the right to be promoted to the same rank as that held by their line contemporaries of equal length of service.

The guide for bringing about such promotions was through the assignment to staff officers of line running mates.

The Navy Department, in accordance with the provisions of this act, therefore assigned to the then Lieut. Commander Charles E. Parsons, Supply Corps, United States Navy, a line running mate who was promoted to the rank of captain on July 1, 1926.

The then Lieutenant Commander Parsons therefore became eligible under this act for promotion to the rank of captain in the Supply Corps.

His status at that time was an exceptional one, in that, owing to restrictions on promotion in his corps under the old law, he was still in the rank of lieutenant commander and therefore two grades below his line running mate.

The above act thus entitled him to two rights, that of promotion to commander and, upon qualifying in that rank, to further promotion to captain.

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The first Supply Corps selection board which met in July, 1926, for the purpose of bringing about the readjustments in rank of officers in that corps, as provided for in above act, failed to select Lieutenant Commander Parsons to the rank of commander. A second board, which met about three months later, did select him, and he duly qualified and was commissioned a commander in the Supply Corps.

Upon his being promoted to the rank of commander, the Navy Department assigned to Commander Charles E. Parsons, Supply Corps United States Navy, a new running mate of the line of the rank of commander only, basing this action on the fact that the then Lieutenant Commander Parsons had failed of selection to the rank of commander before the first selection board.

Commander Parsons was thus deprived of his line running mate of the rank of captain and in consequence lost eligibility for promotion to that rank for a period of from seven to eight years.

The assignment to Commander Parsons, Supply Corps, of a new line running mate of the rank of commander was contrary to section 10 of the above act, which section only provides for the assignment of a new line running mate where a staff officer has been considerd for and failed of selection for advancement to the rank held by his running mate.

As Commander Parsons was not considered by a selection board for the rank of captain, to which his running mate had been promoted, and therefore did not fail to be selected for advancement to that rank, there was no legal authority for the Navy Department's action in assigning him a new line running mate and thus depriving him of his eligibility for promotion to captain.

This loss of eligibility for promotion to captain has worked a severe hardship on Commander Parsons and one which was not contemplated by above act, and the object of H. R. 4940 is to rectify this condition in so far as can be done, in part, at this time.

H. R. 4940 does not in itself promote Commander Parsons or override in any way the action of past selection boards, but simply rectifies, in part, an injustice which has been done him and which is apparent to your committee. It merely places Commander Parsons in a position he is justly entitled to under the law for promotion by a future selection board if they find him qualified.

The following data clearly sets forth the service record of Commander Charles E. Parsons:

Charles Erven Parsons entered the Navy from civil life through competitive examination and was appointed assistant paymaster with rank of ensign to date from July 8, 1905.

Was promoted to assistant paymaster with rank of lieutenant, junior grade, effective February 3, 1908.

Was promoted to passed assistant paymaster with rank of lieutenant, effective July 8, 1908.

Was promoted to paymaster with rank of lieutenant commander, effective August 29, 1916.

Was selected by selection board and promoted to temporary grade of pay inspector with rank of commander, Supply Corps, effective November 5, 1918. (This temporary appointment lapsed December 31, 1921, upon expiration of period of temporary war appointments.)

Was selected by selection board and promoted to permanent grade of pay inspector with rank of commander, Supply Corps, effective January 1, 1925.

Duty since entering Navy:

Pay officer, U. S. S. Wolverine, September, 1905, to September,

1906.

Assistant pay officer, U. S. S. Colorado (Asiatic Station), December, 1906, to July, 1907.

General storekeeper, United States naval station, Olongapo, P. I., July, 1907, to September, 1908.

Pay officer, U. S. S. Cleveland (Asiatic Station), September, 1908, to November, 1909.

Assistant to general storekeeper, navy yard, Norfolk, Va., February, 1910, to May, 1911.

General storekeeper, pay officer, and purchasing pay officer, United States naval station, New Orleans, La., May, 1911, to October, 1911. General storekeeper, pay officer, commissary officer, and purchasing pay officer, United States naval disciplinary barracks, Port Royal, S. C., November, 1911, to August, 1912.

Pay officer, Atlantic Torpedo Flotilla (U. S. S. Dixie, flagship), August, 1912, to December, 1913.

Pay officer, U. S. S. Missouri, March, 1914, to September, 1915. Accounting officer, navy yard, Washington, D. C., October, 1915, to December, 1916.

Bureau of Supplies and Accounts, Navy Department, January, 1917, to July, 1921.

Supply officer, destroyer squadrons, Battle Fleet, July, 1921, to December, 1923.

Executive officer and senior assistant supply officer, Supply Department, navy yard, Philadelphia, Pa., January, 1924, to May,

1925.

Coordinator for traffic and chairman of Federal Traffic Board (Bureau of the Budget), June, 1925, to July, 1927.

Supply officer, connection fitting out U. S. S. Saratoga and for duty on that vessel after commissioning, August, 1927, to September,

1929.

Disbursing officer, navy yard, Washington, D. C., November, 1929, to date.

Commander Parsons's fitness reports show without exception the high regard in which he was held by his commanding officers and the general nature of the marks assigned him for purposes of rating his ability and performance of duty indicate its "excellent" or "superior" character.

A few of the statements from the reports of fitness of this officer, as submitted by his superior or commanding officers:

Period October 1, 1913, to January 8, 1914, while pay officer Atlantic Torpedo Flotilla, Capt. Wm. S. Simms, United States Navy, commander torpedo flotilla, said:

An excellent all-around officer, thoroughly reliable, and loyal and a valuable aid to his superiors. Excellent temperament, pleasing personality, tactful in his relations with both seniors and juniors, and deservedly popular.

Period October 1 to December 30, 1916, while accounting officer, navy yard, Washington, D. C., Rear Admiral J. H. Glennon, United States Navy, commandant, said:

This officer is of a type that constitutes a real asset to an industrial plant. Period from October 1, 1917, to March 31, 1918, Rear Admiral Samuel McGowan, Supply Corps, United States Navy, Paymaster General of the Navy, said:

My remarks on the report of fitness of this officer for the period ending September 30, 1917, apply with equal force during the period covered by the present report. In addition to this, Mr. Parsons is entitled to a proper share of the credit for the following tribute paid to the work of the Bureau of Supplies and Accounts in the recent report of the subcommittee to the Committee on Naval Affairs of the House of Representatives.

The Bureau of Supplies and Accounts has established and well deserves a nation-wide reputation for business efficiency.

Period from April 1, 1919, to September 30, 1919, while on duty in Bureau of Supplies and Accounts. Rear Admiral Samuel McGowan, Supply Corps, United States Navy, Paymaster General, quoted from his letter of March 31, 1919, to Bureau of Navigation, as follows:

This officer was the senior assistant in the purchase division during the period of the war, and after the armistice was signed when Commander Hancock was ordered abroad on special duty, took charge thereof. During the period of the war, the organization expanded twenty fold and the expansion so far as the personnel was concerned was directly under his cognizance, particularly the commodity sections and the selection of the Navy members. At no other time had there been presented so many novel conditions affecting the procurement of Navy supplies; and as the executive officer to the officer in charge, much of the detail work devolved upon him, requiring the exercise of patience, tact, and deliberate and careful judgment and absolute fairness.

The distingusihed character of his service added greatly to the success of the supply system of the Navy.

In the formation of the naval districts, he prescribed the section base and district supply base system for handling supplies and disbursements; and the methods therein laid down met the test of the war, and without change.

Commander Parsons is deserving of great credit for the manner in which he took over the handling of the intricate details of the purchase division from Commander Hancock upon the occasion of the latter officer becoming a member of the Munitions Board and later the War Industries Board and having to give a considerable part of his time to work in connection with the Advisory Commission of the Council of National Defense.

All of this was done at a time when the volume of business was increasing tremendously day by day; and he brought to the very difficult task assigned him a rare degree of initiative, judgment, patience, and painstaking attention to every feature of the work.

During the period April 1 to June 30, 1923, while supply officer destroyer squadrons, Battle Fleet, Rear Admiral G. H. Burrage, commander destroyer squadrons, Battle Fleet, said of him:

Has performed most excellent service in commissary and supply, destroyer squadrons. The great improvement in destroyer messing and accounting due to his personal effort.

During the period July 1, 1923, to September 30, 1923, under Rear Admiral Sumner E. W. Kittelle, commander destroyer squadrons, Battle Fleet, Admiral Kittelle said:

Lieutenant Commander Parsons is supply officer on the staff of the commander destroyer squadrons, in which capacity he has handled all questions of supply for the force with marked ability.