The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1870-12-15

annual dppIoPItdtIoh are maze the DullO-
lngs will rapidly deteriorate in value, and
, finally will need much larger repairs or
tie erection of new ones in their stead.
: With the increase Of population in this
country appropriations must be annually
made for the erection of Post Offices,
Custom Houses, and other public build
lngs The present mode of inauguratinp
J these works seems to me unwise. Ap-
preparations are often made without suf
ficcnt information upon the subject. 1t
is true that when proposition is intro.
duced into Congress for the erection of ii
public building, the subject Is referred
to the Treasury Department, and by the
Secretary to the Supervising Architect
or the Treasury but IL is also true tia
the Supervising Architect has only gen
eral Information upon the subj ct, and in
answer To the sudden Call, and without
time tor the preparation OF plans and
estimates, cannot give sound opinion us
TO che necessity or cost of the work. |
RESPECTFULLY Recommend that hereaft r,
when applications are made for the con
struction of public buildings, the first
step, on the part of Congress, will be to
Instruct the Treasury Department to
make careful inquiry as o the necessity
o. the work, and also TO prepare, stlmates
t. be LAID before Congress. This beng
done, and the work authorized, 1T would
,e wise 10 make an appropriation SUI
lucent to meet the entire Cost, and theu
n'ld the department and supervising
architect resDons be for he speedy com-
pletlon OF the building, substantially
upon the plans duly authorized, anu
within the atlmate. | am satisfied that
much waste oI public money occurs, and
much complaint on the part OF citizens
from the small appropriations which are
made from year t. Year. The inevitable
consequence of this policy is, that public
WORKS are injured III the process o. con
Istruction, aud the EXPENSES are iargel
inoI eased.
The Supervising Architect of TIL,
Treasury states ia his report that the
eXpeniiture authorized by law for tue
construction OF the Post Office In th,
clty of NV York will be INADEQUATE I'm
less the character of the work is chang, q
from tile original design 1t seems t. b.
due to he city of New York, for gene raj
aud apparent reasons, and III considera
ton OF the fact that the most eligible ste
has been secured by co operation and III
some degree at he expense of the CITY,
that the building should not only be "a
fire proof structure, but also of such de
Isig and workmanship as to rank amony
the best ptplIc bllld ngs in the country
THE REVENUE MARINE SERVICE
! AT the preseut time tn re are twenty
four steamers AMI ten sailing vessels ut
tached to the revenue marine service
The number having been reduced
during The year by the sale of two YES.
sells o. the latter class. At the third SEES
sion of the Furtieth Congress an appro-
priatlon of 100000 was made for the
construction OF four steam revenue cut
tiers. After the proposals had been Is
sued aud bids received, which were re
Jected under an impression on my part
that the public in. erests did not require
vessels II as large size as those for which
the proposals had been issued, [ appoint.
ed commission, by letter dated Decem.
Der 49, 1869. consisting of Captain G.. It.
Patterson, Of the coast Survey, Captain
Douglas Ottinger, and Captain j. H. Mer-
ryman, OF the revenue marine, and in
. rufted them to consider and report up
on the character of vesst Is best adapte
to the construction OF the vessels author.
lied wss delayed for the report Of the
commission. That report was made on
tue 1st day of May, 1870. Executive
document No. 90, Senate, second session
present Congress.] Upon the completion
OF the work OF the commission proposals
We're again issued for the construction of
four vessels authorized by law. Satisfac-
tory bids were received, and on the 22d
of July and 22d August last contracts
: were made. The construction given by
the Comptroller to the fifth section of the
act making appropriations for legisla.
tive, executive, and judicial expendi-
lures of the government fol- the year rnd-
ing June 30, 1871, rendered the appro.
) prlatlon unavailable, and it therefore be.
came necessary to notify the parties to
the contracts that they must I've consider
ed az null aud void One of the parties
has asked to have his contract formally
Annulled, which has been done. | recon-
mend renewal of the appropriation OF
: $5UO,UOO Tor the construction of steam
revenue cutters, without limitation as tn
the number or specification as to the size
of vessels to be built. The report OF the
. commission shows that the thirteen YES
; sells now In use are either old or not
adapted for the service The opinion
entertained by me that the vessels in use
are larger than the nature the service re
CURED is confirmed by the report of the
commission. They recommend that the
number be reduced to thirty two, and the
aggregate tonnage reduced from 9,208 to
7,185 IONS. They also state that it will
be practicable, upon the proposed basis,
to reduce the total number of officers.
pilots, petty officers, and men from 1926.