New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-02-14
rRnE IND ELSE ECONOMY.


The House of Representatives is scrutlnlzlng
! the several Appropriation bills more vigorously
than former Houses have usually done. Its
Committee on Appropriations, headed by MI.
Dawes, and that on Printing whereof Mr. Lat
lin is Chairman, appear to be doing Their whole
duty. Other Committees, especially the Mill
tary, headed by Gen Logan, cvince the proper
spirit: so that there Is scarcely nest OF IDLE
toy-consumcrs in the land that is not agtated
by a wholesome fear that its day of reckoning
draws nigh. We trust the spirit of rctrench-
ment, strengthened If not evoked by MIR.
Dawcs's speech, will not flag until every de-
partmcnt of the public service has been sub
iected to rs influence.
On one point. we think the House not quite
considerate-that of prompt action with refer
ence to expiring appropriations. Take the
Naval service. for example. The Secretary
reports that work in the Navy Yards must stop
unless Congress either appropriatcs more
money therefor or authorizes a transfer to this
head of sums appropriated for other bureaus
which can spare it. Now, Congress may act I'D
the premises as it shall deem proper; but 1t
certainly should act 1t is not right to leave
several thousand men anxious and uncertain
as to whether they are soon to be sent
adrft in mid winter or not. Whatever is to
be done as to this matter should have, been done
directly after Congress was advised OF the
deficiency. We believe half our Navy Yards
ought to be shut up and sold out forthwith.
We are confident that money would be saved
by reducing them to three in all, and that the
public good would be subserved by such re-
duction. But a deficiency officially reported
should not remain Enacted on il single week.
Even if Congress has resolved not to grant
another dollar, that should be promptly made
known.
So with regard to buildings in progress, such
as the Ncw-York and Boston Post Offices
The business of those offices has immensely
expanded of late and is still rapidly increas-
ing. The old church, most inconvenently To-
Gated, which does duty for post office here, is
so glaringly inadequate and unit that the
last Congress voted to build new one. Half
a Million Dollars were paid long since for q
site, and several hundred thousands have since
been spent in buying materials and laying
the foundations. We shall be losing not less
than an average fl$1OO,O0O per annum as in
terest on the outlay henceforth until this
structure is completed, when we can sell our
old post office, stop paying rent for court
rooms, aud have far better accommodations at
no more than the present annual cost. A
large saving may be made by pushing the
work TO conclusion at the earliest possible day.
But we are not insisting that any particular
course should be taken, but some course. If
Congress sees fit to stop the work entirely,
sell off the site and the materials and try to
get on few years with the old quarters, so
be it. But do MT let us be paying superin-
tendent and staff for doing next to nothing,
but either push the work to speedy compile
ton now or stop it altogether. 1t will cost too
much to have the men employed here dispersed,
if they are soon to be brought together again
or others employed in their stead; and we
urge the champions of economy in Congress to
decide promptly, in this and all similar cases,
what is to be done, and then do ii.