The sun., 1872-03-02

| traCtors twelve per cent. additional upon
| the contract price for their vessels.
They understood also that behind
thee forty-cght claimants stood AN in
| definite number of others, who had not
come before the Board, but who were only
waiting for Congress to adopt principle
which would let them in, before urging
their demands. II was estimated that
| these future claims would foot up ut least
seven or eight millions OF dollars. The CONF
mittcr, therefore, reported ns an amend
ment Joint resolution authorizing and
directing the Secretary OF the Navy "to
investigate the claims of all contractors
for building vessels Of war and steam ma
| chincry, under contracts made after the
first day of May, 1851, aud prior TO the first
| day OF January, iSGi and 10 report to
Congress u tabular statement Of each case
which shall contain the name Of the con-
tractor, Il description of the work, the con-
tract price. the whole increased cost of the
work over the contract price. and the
amount of such increased cost caused by
the delay aud action Of the Government
aforesaid, and the amount already paid the
contractors" The senate refused 10 concur
in this amendment. and Committee of
Conference was appointed. After several
| protiactcd meetings, the committee on the
| part OF the Senate agreed TO the House
amendment, and the joint resolution
passed, and was approved by the President
March 2, 1867
In accordance with this resolution the
Secretary of the Navy appointed Board
of officers consisting OF Commodore J. B.
| MARCHANp, Chief Engineer J. w. KING,
and Paymaster EDWARD FosrER. The
claims of the forty-eight contractors were
the 2Gth of November, 1867, they reported
to the Secretary Of the Navy the tabular
statement called for. Out Of the forty
eight claims presented, the Board found
| that an allowance should be made on nine
of them only.
Among those who presented claims were
SECoR y Co., PERRINE, SECoR y Co.. aud
| ZENo SECoR, for additional allowances on
| building tie river and harbor monitors
Manhattan, Tccumsch, and Mahopac, and
the iron doublc-euder Mohongu. The con-
tract price of the first three was Sl,3s0CO0.
| aud Of ,l,,. I,t,..,. QoO ust,..,. l..
paid for extra work caused by changes IN
| plans on the monitors, si2l, 1855, and on
the doublc-endcr, 81, ,ss2.2I they claimed
Of the Government an additional allow
aucc Of t1,23O 1O1,12 on the monitors. and
were allowed by thc Board $ll5,539.ol; on
the doublc-cndcr they claimed SSi,1ii.l3,
and were allowed nothing.
This report was communicated 10 thc
Senate at thcsc second session Of the Fortoth
Congress, and was referred to the Commit
Zee on Naval Affairs, who reported the tol-
lowing lill. entitled An act Tor ia, relief
OF certain Government ooutra,tors:'
A,to.a. .t.b. Hs S.o,e gai H.a,e orE7,c,ea'I.
| o.. H'l .-n'i NL'tHf .'n.fnt. .u '0lUs" u.r.t'
I liHi me Ntt hl iit treasury if ana hV l~
a, r.. rgy1 M & a m & & n" X Y , mo ,n,,c 2
afd one c,6i 20 Iir1s ~ l'rrSd i6iriy.cght t5u.
lrSI w6rs. o so1 @ % f56 ifod.ind u" clSt Kun
| orcd ana nity two dohas ana nfp.cight cents To
drtd and ntl two dollars sud nfy-elgnt cents 10 NJ 3
| afty.tSo dollar, aui anysisht ccLts; n ToyLiNsoy,
| nAGtrrEs q C9. ii. cen tooasand one haulr.d and
ne sum q thislycis4 thousand aye hundred ami inr
thousand "A hundrcdard nin,tyfour dollars and eighty
H. iitio. hiea named by ihe sccr,iary
9i tut Nayy under az sct Of ons,ss tut.ucd An Att
| o. ycrsc.s of war and steam machinery Approved
| March. eighteen hundred aud sixty scNch.
On motion of Mr. GRIMES this bill was
"road "a second time aud considered us in
Committee Of the WHOLE ON June :, 1863.
Mr.. GRIMES stated the object of it, and
gave a -uccinct history Of the proceedings
OF Congress relative to the matter. He
was interrupted by Mr.. CoNKLISG, who
was then an uti-Admiuistration senator,
aud the following debate took place:
Nj CoEKLtSG should llae to inquire of lLc
| senator who has this h'l In 81 arc whether this
| is the last ot these claims and proposed appro-
| piiatiOEs; Ia other w,.d-, whether this /, ia
lull. 20 FAR as all these contractors atc concerned
| named ia this table, being those rtfoTed to la
| the bll. and a great many others.
Mr. GRutGs That ls question [ ammo, an
| -wcr. I do not suppose that IL II the last.
| never knew yet anybody who had u claim against
| the Government, vino did not persist in having
| "a lWser orc ancrw.rd. | presume the same
thing viii tl ~ here That doe In all other cases.
| Nj. to&kLING- -hould like to inquire again,
| II thr :. uuor will excuse me, what Is the
aiauuut tDat Aas boon Appropriated heretofore.
Mr. GUMS By t"urtt--i
Mr. tuHNIIhG Yes, -,r
hir. GiI.lt- Nothing "i al.
hr. tOSblING brc' the senator moan that
| none OF these contractors have received extra
| toWIVHtItluu uaDl now 3
MT, GN&E, / moan uta' that they have mot,
| I5 virtue ui .uy aCt Ut Congress. No law uf
! Congress has been pHrSod KNiuy tu,m extra
| compvf. .ptiOu; hut II the senator viii ioivr to
thr table iu hi+ han a, lac W Soc thai c&tra com
! ptnsltiuu liar uvcn allowed them - the Nc,r,-
| tdry of the Navy, and IN some ,uttancce to the
| same pIItitS VINO are included iu THE TIN aud
do not know bat To each opr OF ttyIu.
Hr. tOSlN ING.l do 4c,. n- iiy Hs The m"iUcut
ia which ioOk az II ru,hI,s inr To sec, tha' a
very liiF, u.uibcr ul rAtrh .,lpHur .,- has hu' 20
made. lhc present hIll apprupdusS, j! | aut
| 49, ti .u iuS computation. ah AT e%JOfl. -Gs-
rC-t ild. 10 WUUld be NcI aud sHti. factory IL we
mlglt know, before this h. passed. upon finally,
uJw much h,l, been pud heretofore, whether
~ the discretion Ul the departments or under
general a is, on 10y rIcolu aplu nlrtiiun, and also
thlt Wr uucht know huW uUCh there H. behind.