Petty Officers and The petty offi cers and the men of the navy are divided in the same method as the warrant officers. Petty officers, with the exception of the writers, are all appointed from the men. There are three ranks in every branch — viz.: The chief or first, sec ond and third class petty officers. The men are enlisted in two classes, the volunteers and the conscripts; the first serve for eight years, the second for four. Both classes are allowed to renew their enlistment for terms of three years until the petty officers reach the age of 45, and the men that of 40 years of age. Men appointed to be petty officers must serve six years from the day of appointment. The age of enlistment for volunteers is as follows: Seamen and stokers, 17 to 21 years; carpenters' crew, nurses, blacksmiths, etc., 17 to 26 years; bandsmen 16 to 19 years. The age of conscripts must be over 20.
Examinations for the promotion of petty officers and men are held twice every year, and they are eligible for the examination if they have served at sea as follows: Petty officers First class or chief petty officers, one and a half years as second class petty officers; second class, one year as third class petty officers; third class, one year as leading seamen. Men— Petty officers, leading seamen or first class men, able seamen or second class men, and ordinary or third class men, are examined in April and October. Boys are examined in May and No vember. Boys are trained for four months in the naval barracks at each naval station, and then sent to the sea-going training-ships for two months at least before being distributed among the ships of the squadron, etc. From among able seamen and upwards to first class petty officers inclusive, a certain number of men are selected and examined to become sea men gunners and torpedo men, and the success ful candidates are trained respectively at the gunnery and torpedo-training stations at Yokosuka.
There are three different courses of instruc tion for seamen gunners, torpedo men, torpedo instructors, etc.: (1) A course for seamen gunners; (2) a course for gunnery instructors; (3) recapitulatory, or short course. Stokers, carpenters' crews and blacksmiths are given the same instruction as seamen, and are trained in the artificers' training station according to their standing as seamen. Further details of the in struction of other branches of petty officers and men are unnecessary, it being similar in prin ciple to that given for the seamen class.
The Naval instruc tion for naval officers and engineers is given at the Naval Academy situated at Tokio. It is conducted by a rear-admiral superintendent and several instructors and officers of different ranks, as well as by a staff of professors. The courses of instruction for officer students are divided as follows: (1) Officers' long course, two years; (2) officers' short course, one year; (3) optional course, one year (nearly); (4) engineer's long course, two years; (5) engi neers' short course, one year.
Officer students are nominated by the com mander-in-chief of naval stations and squad rons, and by officers having similar authority, according to a notice given once a year by the Minister of Marine. A candidate for a long course must have had experience of sea duty for three years, be in good health, possess good judgment and a fair knowledge of his profes sion, and have a good record. Officer students for the optional course are not nominated, but make application, stating the subjects to be studied, and permission is granted them by the Minister of Marine if he sees no objection. Officer students of this class include captains, commanders, and lieutenants.
The principal subjects taught at the academy for officers are: (1) Strategy; (2) naval tac tics; (3) military tactics; (4) history of war; (5) ordnance and machinery, including gun nery, torpedoes, naval architecture, steam en gines, hydraulic and electric machinery; (6) navigation, meteorology, coast survey, etc.; (7) fortification; (8) land survey; (9) navy and military administration; (10) international law.
Preparatory subjects are advanced mathe matics, dynamics, physics, applied dynamics.
Optional subjects are criminal law of the navy, modern languages, photography.
The subjects for engineer officers are, first part: (1) Steam engines; (2) practical engi neering; (3) designing of engines and ma chinery; (4) naval architecture; (5) construc tion of ordnance.
Second part. (1) Theory of steam engi neering; (2) kinematics of machinery; (3) strength of material; (4) resistance and pro pulsion; (5) hydrodynamics and hydraulic ma chinery; (6) electricity and electric machinery and apparatus.
Preparatory subjects are mathematics, dy namics, physics, chemistry, metallurgy.
Optional subjects are ctiminal law of the navy, modern languages, photography.
Officers choosing the optional course may select any of the subjects enumerated above, but the selection thereof must be made at the time of application.
Naval The expenditure for the Imperial navy is divided into two classe,: Ordinary expenditure, and extraordinary ex penditure. The ordinary expenditure is for the maintenance of the navy, and the extraordinary expenditure for construction and new estab lishments.
The following figures will give some idea of the increase in expenditures of the Imperial navy since 1870, compared with the tonnage of the ships: The special naval expenditures of Japan China War and Russo-Japan War were as fol lows: Japan-China War (1894-95), 35,955,137 yen; Russo-Japan War (1904-05), 239,578,251 yen.
Besides the ordinary and extraordinary ex penditure, the navy has special funds amount ing to 3,000,000 yen for ship-building and ord nance construction materials, which are divided among the dock-yards and arsenals as the mate rial funds.