New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-12-31
as long as the present system Of making grants Of

Is known to exist in the expenditure of the naval
funds and of the corruption that s suspected. is the
large discretion that is given the Secretary of the
Navy and his subordinates in disposing of the money
appropriated. 1t has been customary 10 vote mil
lions of dollars yearly " in the lump" for most of
the bureaus ard then 1t has been left to the Secre
tary to determine how il shall be used. No law
strains him from spending the whole OF it in
month or two, while there is entire cessation of
work by the bureau for the remainder of the year.
In the of the appropriation for construction and
repairs for instance, he may devote the whole ap-
preparation TO the building of new ships, neglectng
the preservation of vessels and materials, and then
come to Congress the next year with greatly in
creased estimate, made necessary by the neglect.
The only way to stop this Objectionable method Of
doing usiness is TO require the Secretary of the
Navy 10 submit his estimates i'll detail, the esti-
mates for the departments here in Washington are
submitted. When Congress makes an appropriation
for the Office of the Treasurer of the United States,
the expenses are not all Jumped together in one
item, thus For salaries of Treasurer Assistant
Treasurer cashier clerks messengers, laborors, &c
100000" The number of clerks, bOokkeepers, mes
sengeTs, and aborers is stipulated, and the salary
each shall receive is fixed. If the Treasurer needs
temporary clerks he has to ask Congress for author
ity TO appoint them. II is not possible for him to
increase his force two five tenfOld during one
portion of the year to accomplish some political OBJ
ject and then turn the most of them ont when the
political exigency has passed But the system of
making appropriations for the navy Is entirely df-
ferent. Examine, for instance, the appropriation
for the Bureau of Construction and Repair for the
current year, which may be found on page 300 of
the last volume of the Statutes at Large. 1t Is as
follows:
For preservation Of vessels the stocks and in ordi-
may; purchase OF materials and stores oi all KINDS;
ton OF materials purchase OF tools; wear tear ana re-
pair Of vessels aOat AID for general care aud protection
the navy the line of construction and repair incl
dental expnscs namely advertising and foreign post
ages, S3,300,OOO.
In the same way 81, 100000 was appropriated in
a lump for the Blreau of Equipment and Recruit
ing; SIS, 900 for contingent expenses of the same
bureau; 100000 for the Bureau of Yards and
Docks; and $40, 900 for its contingent expenses.
1t is interesting TO compare tins loose and ire
spOnsible method of making appropriations with
that adopted by the British Government. Our Con-
gress has not been in the habit of liking the amount
even that shall be spent in each maynard, TO say
nothing of limitingsthe: number of men, the wages
they shall be paid &c, &c. The British estimates
10 all this and more Take for instance the cost OF
their navy-yards and the work done i'll them They
first give u table of IS sub-heads, under which the
vote of money for dock yards and navaly yards Will
be accounted for, and then enumerae the items
under each Of these heads for which the money
is to lie expended in each separate yard.
Then there is a separate appropriation for victual-
ing yards, divided under - sub-headS, and the
items under each of these heads for each yard are
given sngly. Another separate appropriation is
made for naval stores for building and repairing
the fleet, steam machinery, and ships built by con-
tract" The estimates for this appropriation are
divided under IL sub-heads, and detailed state
ment is added of the proposed expenditure under
each of these heads, in each of the yards The same
subdivisions carried out in the estimates for new
works, buildings machinery and repairs, and indeed
for every branch of the naval service. The esti-
mate for contingencies Is divided under - sub
heads. The navy estimates for single year I'LL 100
pages of an official document of the House of Com
mons and these are followed by appendices filing 50
pages more, showing still more in detail the pur-
poses for which the money is required. For in
stance, one table shows the number of men in each
ward engaged on each description of work another
the number of men of each trade employed. Another
is a detailed statement Of the suns required iOr
works under $500 each taken under the vote for
new works, buildings, machinery, aud repairs "
Stll another gives full description of every vessel
either building OF repairing, the estimated cost OF
labor and material upon il, the amount OF work
done upon il at the time the estimate was made the
amount to be done before the end of the fiscal year
the amount of work estimated to be done on 1t dur
ing the next fiscal year, and the number Of men EN-
ployed upon it.
II the Appropriations Committee eh0ud send
Secretary RobesOn's estimates back to him, With
instructions to make them out IN detail, as the
British estimates are prepared, both it and the
House would thcn have the data on which 10 act III
telligently. Not only is such action required by
~ an
lie service but By proper regarl for political fair
play in future. The present House has 1T IN Its
power 20 prevent the Secretary of the Navy from
hacking the navy-yards of the country full OF un-
necessary workmen in order to carry the districts
in which they situated in the Presidential cleo
ton next Fall and it will be false to the inter
ests of the party which the majority represents.
as we'll as dereict in its duty to the country, II 1t
fails to do il. Let Secretary Robson say Just now
much money he expects to need III every hayward
for next year and just what he wants every dollar
of it for. Let him state to Congress the NUMBER Oh
hlocksmiths and ioincrs and machinists and ship
carpenters that ne desires to employ IN each yard,
ana designate the particular work he wishes them to
do. and the wages he VIII have to pay them. Let
him in short give TO Congress the same detailed in
formation that the House of Commons has, before
il votes appropr;atiOns for the British navy, not
orally before the committee but in such form that
il can be examined and studied by every Member OF
Congress and by every citizen who desires to do 50.
Then let Congress make its appropriations IN the
same form. and require the Navy Departme't to be
governed 10y them. We shall then hear no more
about saving enough out OF current appropriations
To build new ships that the country does not need
aud Congress- has never authorized to be con
struced.
Such a reform in the system of making appropria-
ts might be carried out in the preparation OF other