20-15. Use of special forms not obligatory. On account of the great variety in types of structures comprising public works and public utilities, the bureau does not consider it practicable to adopt and prescribe a standard form for recording annual inspections; individual yards or stations, however, may adopt printed or mimeographed forms as best suited to local requirements, provided their use proves economical. In any case, reports shall not be made on sheets larger than regular letter size.

20-16. Inspection procedure will necessarily vary according to the extent of work involved and the force available. In the case of major yards where both main and outlying stations are to be inspected by the same force, the inspection work may be made continuous over the entire year; such procedure is ordinarily necessary because of the large volume of work to be covered and the limited force available. In general, it is preferable to employ a minimum force continuously rather than a large force at widely separated intervals. At smaller yards and stations it will often be possible and desirable to concentrate the inspection work within a relatively short time interval.

20-17. Where inspection work is continuous the stations and structures requiring examination should be analyzed and subdivided for inspection by seasons and months; when repairs are seasonal the inspection should always antedate the repair period. The choice of personnel for the inspecting force will depend to a certain extent on local organization, but it is essential that the force be under the direct supervision of the public works officer, and that the inspector assigned to cover any phase of the inspection work be entirely competent to prepare reliable reports thereon. The services of officers, inspectors of construction, technical aids, draftsmen, supervisors, and mechanics may all be utilized for appropriate parts of the work. After the entire year's work has been subdivided and the component parts assigned to the various inspectors, effective steps should be taken to insure continuous action and the prompt submission of reports. As reports are received, estimates for needed repairs should be prepared and copies made for those interested or affected; one copy should be filed, according to relative urgency and trades, in a "desirable work" folder to form the basis for the preparation of quarterly budgets, thereby permitting advance planning of both major and minor repairs. It is not intended that an unjustifiable

amount of time and effort shall be devoted to the preparation of detailed estimates, especially when available funds will permit only the most urgent repairs to be done.

20-18. Inspection of stations maintained by other bureaus. The foregoing instructions apply more particularly to public works and public utilities maintained by funds under the cognizance of the Bureau of Yards and Docks. In the case of public works maintained by funds of other bureaus, such as hospitals, marine barracks, radio stations, and ammunition depots, all structures shall be inspected under the direction of the district public works officer for stability and preservation as required by article 493 of the Navy Regulations; any further inspection, with estimates, shall be in such degree of detail as will be satisfactory to the commanding officer of the station concerned. Where structures are being maintained by the local forces of the station, it is not the intention to require duplication of minor inspections made by such forces as part of their routine work, but rather to provide inspection of major items not within the capacity of the local forces employed. Inspections shall be made at such times as may be agreeable to the commanding officer concerned. If inspections in greater detail, with estimates, be desired by the commanding officer, they shall be made under the direction of the district public works officer, and the cost of making such detailed inspections and estimates shall, where practicable, be borne by the appropriation for maintaining the structures inspected, except where such work is performed by employees appointed under and paid exclusively from a specific annual appropriation.

20-19. Frequent routine inspections essential to proper maintenance. In addition to the annual inspection required by regulations, a systematic routine involving frequent periodic inspection, closely followed by necessary repair work, is essential in securing proper and adequate maintenance of public works and public utilities. It is not practicable for the bureau to prescribe the interval for routine inspections, as this will vary according to the type of structure, its component parts, its use, and its susceptibility to deterioration from exposure to the elements. Officers responsible for the safety and preservation of public works and utilities are expected to establish and maintain such schedules of regular inspection as will insure the timely detection of defects and deterioration; mere perfunctory attention to complaints and reports from the users of such

structures is insufficient, and in no sense fulfills the bureau's intention as to the proper methods to be followed in the maintenance of structures under its cognizance. Occupants are expected, however, to make prompt reports to the responsible officials of any defects observed or repairs required, and such reports should be given proper consideration and attention. The importance of carefully planning and thoroughly executing the routine inspection of all public works and public utilities is of the first order, since this work, with the regular annual inspection, forms the primary requisite for insuring the safety of structures and their proper preservation, detecting wastes, and reducing maintenance costs to a minimum.

SECTION III. EXECUTION OF MAINTENANCE WORK.

20-20. The commandant's responsibility. As provided in General Order 53, "the commandant is responsible for all business transacted within the limits of his command" and possesses "full authority" commensurate with such responsibility. Accordingly, the commandant is responsible for the taking of necessary and proper measures in carrying on the maintenance work connected with public works and public utilities.

REPAIR, PRESERVATION, AND UPKEEP OF PUBLIC WORKS AND PUBLIC UTILITIES.

20-21. Direction of work; public works officer's responsibility. Efficient direction of the repair, preservation, and upkeep of the public works and public utilities hereinafter enumerated requires a full knowledge of the forces involved in the stability of such structures under all conditions of use, and also experience in the selection and application of preservative measures. It is, therefore, essential that such work be placed under the direction of an officer possessing engineering training and comprehensive technical familiarity with the structures indicated. Furthermore, control of the work should be such as to permit concentration of responsibility for its proper and economical execution. The officer responsible for the results requires authority consistent with his responsibility; he should have control of the expenditures involved, and requisite authority as to facilities, assistants, and employees.

20-22. Special organization required. Effective control and the fixing of definite responsibility in the maintenance of shore structures is impossible of accomplishment if the work be distributed

among several branches of the organization and carried out as incidental to their major operations. Maintenance of shore structures is essentially different from ship work, and can be more economically carried out by a special organization. The establishment of a special shop organization for "yards and docks" work, and the assignment thereto of such workmen or mechanics as may be employed continuously, or for an extended period, is in accordance with established policy of the Navy Department. Specific directions to this effect are contained in a circular letter of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy to commandants of navy yards and naval stations, 26082-108, dated May 23, 1922. See also Secretary of the Navy's letter 26082-122 9/25, dated September 27, 1922.

20-23. Classification of maintenance activities. The various activities included in the maintenance of public works and public utilities are arranged in the following order to indicate the scope of the work involved:

Police protection.

Fire protection.

General yard cleaning and care of grounds.

Repair, preservation, and upkeep of the following:

Roads, walks, and pavements.

Tracks.

Sewerage systems.

Water supply-collection, storage, metering, and distribution.

Buildings, chimneys, walls, and fences.

Bridges, towers, and masts.

Water-front structures-piers, sea walls, dikes, dump brows, bollards, etc.

Dredging, moorings, and navigational aids.

Docking facilities-graving docks, floating docks, marine railways.

Shipbuilding ways and crane runways connected therewith.

Weight-handling appliances, ashore and afloat.

Power plants, including distilling and refrigerating plants.

Distributing systems-steam, air, hydraulic, and electric.
Fuel plants.

Communication systems-telephone, telegraph, pneumatic tubes.

Transportation equipment-locomotives, cars, locomotive cranes, vehicles,
live stock.

Construction equipment-machines and tools.
Furniture and office equipment.

Certain general rules are set forth in the succeeding pages of this chapter, applying to those conditions which are peculiar to the Naval Establishment, but not including current approved engineering practices applicable to the maintenance of all works, except in certain instances where the bureau desires uniformity of methods throughout the service.

20-24. Sanitary requirements. Considerations of hygiene and sanitation have a highly important bearing on the maintenance and operation of certain public works, notably the general cleaning of stations, the disposal of wastes, sewerage systems, water supplies, ventilation, drainage, and mosquito control. Since, however, a separate chapter of the manual is devoted to a discussion of the sanitary requirements of public works and to the cooperation of this bureau with the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery in connection therewith, the succeeding pages of this chapter will deal with the maintenance of public works with a view to their physical preservation as a primary consideration.

POLICE PROTECTION.

20-25. The bureau provides watchmen at naval stations, subject to the exceptions indicated in article 492 of the Navy Regulations, for the protection of public property therein. In this connection, the term "watchmen" applies to all civilians employed for the protection of public property on shore, whether designated as watchmen, policemen, roundsmen, captains of police, or otherwise; it does not, however, include shipkeepers, watchmen employed solely for the protection of stores under the custody of the supply officer, or watchmen employed for specific purposes not connected with the general protection of fixed property on shore; as, for example, the protection incidental to work being performed in offices, shops, or on ships under construction.

20-26. Supervision and control is under the commandant's direction, subject only to the provisions of the Navy Regulations.

20-27. Automatic clocking devices for recording the time of inspection of established stations are necessary to insure thorough and continuous compliance on the part of the watchmen with the orders prescribing their inspection routes. Two separate types of recording devices are in general use; one type consisting of portable clocks with keys at fixed stations for registering the time of inspection on the clock card, and the other consisting of fixed circuits with central electric mechanism for recording automatically the inspection of fixed stations. Yards and large stations not equipped with adequate and efficient watchmen's clock systems should give consideration to their purchase and installation.