The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-03-19


The bill reported by Mr. CLYMER from the
Committee on Appropriations for the naval
service Of the next fiscal year contains some
new features which are decided improve
mcnts. Properly enforced, they Will OPP
crate as a check upon the diversion of
money from one bureau to another, and also
upon the corrupt practices which dis
graced the administration Of that depart
ucnt under SrCuE RonrsoS.
Hitherto the practice has been to lump
the whole pay of the navy in a round sum,
as follows, for the present year, 10y way Of IL
lustraton
For pay commissioned and warrant on,ors AZ sea-.
on shore special service. AMI tho-o the r,urI
list and unemployed aud ior tue actual expenses
Ger, rav' Lang under orders and tor paw Of Che ioty "a.
Gers 'can'n. ordinary ~am'" and,ucn and boys iu.
Guiding men of The engineer, force aud for tho coast
survey service seven Thousand ave hundred men
million six hundred thousand dollars
without a searching inquiry at the de-
partmcnt. or waiting for the annual ac-
counts, no one can tell how this large sum has
been distributed among the different grades
for which IL was appropriated. The form
WIS invented in the days of extravaganza
and plumber to keep the taxpayers ignorant
50 that there should pc no vcxatious in
quIics. Now. Mr.. CLYNFK's bill claSSihos
the pay among the active list. the retired
list and the petty officers, scamcn and the
Ike, with the exact amount unler each
head, and the specific number of every grade
OF officers to be paid. For example, the ac-
tive list Is enumerated from the Admiral
down to the ensign, with the number of
each rank and the amount required To- pay
them, IA " nino Rear Admnals, fifty thou
sand dollars, and so ON to the end of the
list This active roll sums up s3,69S. $50.
The retired list aggregates SG45.4oO. and
the pay for petty officers, seamcn, lands
men, boys. and the like amounts To- - 400, 600.
In all sG7H,l5o, or sli4,I5O more than the
running year, not including the deficiencies
already voted for it. This method OF spe-
cillc appropriation enables the public to SEE
the enormous waste caused by multi
picity Of unnecessary officers. reinforced
every year by graduates from Annapolis.
until the service is even more topheavy than
that OF the army.
The pay Of retired officers alone is nearly
double that of all the petty officers, seamcn,
landsmen, ordinary seamen, boys. and the
engineers fOrcc-ratcd at seven thousand
five hundred men-in the navy. We pay forty
two rear admirals, twcnty-six cOmmodOres
fifteen captains thirteen commanders, four
teen lieutenant commanders, six leuten-
ants, fifteen masters, four ensigns, two
mldshpmen, three surgeons general, seven
teen medical directors, one medical nspec-
tor, two surgeons, two passed assistant
surgeons five assistant surgeons, three
paymasters general, five pay directors
three paymastcrs, two passed assistant
| paymastcrs, four chief engineers, seven
! teen passed assistant engineers. twenty-five
assistant engineers, seven chapains, five
! professors of mathematics, one chief con-
! structor, four naval constructors, nine
! hoatswans five gunncrs, twelve carpenters
and eleven saimakers, six hundred and
! fOrty-tiVe Thousand four hundred dollars Il
year for doing nothing
These pensions are unreasonably large.
being, in the higher grades especially,
| s"vcnty-iive per centum Of the sea pay.
! Officers are retired Mt siXty-two years
Of age, when most OF them are yet in
vigorous health and capable Of rendering
efficient service at least on land, in the
bureaus, navy yards. and the like. where
their experience and training ought to make
them OF great value.
through the details Of the bill Of much inn
pOrtancc as reforms with the bill
Of Mr. WHITTHoRNE enacted into law
by which every kind OF proposed exprn-
diture for the navy will be estimated for
specifically, SO that the exact cost will be
made public, and experts will have the OPP
portunity to apply their tests to the figures,
the country will then be able to know as
is now known in England whether it gets
the worth Of its money for the many.hcaded
institution known as the Navy Of the United
States
Two things arc Indispensable to any prac-
teal reform III thi~ service First, the num-
Der of officers, active and retired, /. beyond
all reason, aud the pay is eXurbltpnt. And
secondly, the creation of new officers yearly
by graduation at Annapolis, has become Il
serious drain ON the Treasury without any
conpcnsating benefit. 1t Is either necessary
to reduce the number arbitrarily or to OK
tend the term of study two years, by which
one-ihird would be cut OF Immediately.
West Point and Annapolis nre now manufac-
tories for increasing the oyergrown corps OF