The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-11-29
Annual Rspor. q the sesss'ar, of the

} WAsnSoroS, November 2s.-The Secrc
| tary OF the Navy in his annual report
| says: Since his former report the condl
ton OF the Navy has been considerably i'm
proved. There are now in commission
. % cruisers, / steamboat and ) sailing yes
!. sels-all in condition for active service, ex-
cept the Gettysburg. There are . vessels,
including monitor, which can be made
ready for sea in few months. Besides
these there are l5needing more extensive
repairs, but all can be put in condition
with the present appropriations and those
asked for the next fiscal year. In case of
necessity 9l war vessels Of all classes, in
cluding monitors, can be put in the SER
vice.
The Secretary submits the following es-
Inmates, with the remark that the Depart
meut has not felt itself justified in going
beyondlthese limits. The last fiscal year,
pay Of the Navy wasS7 ,250, ,0O0; pay otcivil
establishments in the Navy Yards, $751;
900; the ordnance and torpedo corps,
$273, 900; coal, hemp and equipment, $500,
900; navigation and navigation supplies,
$40, 500; photographic wash, $4,000; nf-
val observatory nautical almanac, SIS, 500;
repairs and preservation OF vessels, $l56,-
900; steam, machinery, TOOLS &c, $780,
900; provisions for navy, Sl,eO0, 600;
repairs OF hospitals and Laboratories,
$50, 900; surgeons necessaries and naval
hospital stores, sos, 900; contingent expen-
ses Of Department and Bureaus, Sl05, 900;
naval academy, SlS6, 800; support OF ma.
rine corps, SS62, ,S7S; naval asylum at Phil
adelphia, $50, 500; maintenance OF yards
and docks, $40 800; repairs, &C., Of navy
yards, 1915, 600. Total, Si4, ,56e, ,Ssi.
From the tables contained In the report,
1t will, the Secretary says, be seen that the
total estimates Of the costs for the fiscal
year, including the amount appropriated
for the deficiencies Of the previous year,
were S17, ,46S,392. After deducting the de
ficiencies Of 1877 and 1873, which were
$4,l6l, ,473, the amount chargeable to
the expenditures OF the year, was
Sl3, ,S06, ,9l4, which was S767, ,l99 less than
the actual expenses Of the previous year,
and s., ,92S, ,6T less than the expenditures,
including the deficiencies, Of that year,
and s., $50, ,430 less than the expenditures
OF the year ended June 80, 1875. Secretary
Thompson discusses the relation OF the
navy to commerce, and says our rapidly
increasing exports have demonstrated that
this country must become the greatest
producing country in the world. The area
OF our improved liInds is annually enlarg-
ing, keeping pace with our rapidly in
creasing population, and giving assurance
that the surplus OF our agricultural anil
manufacturing products will become cor
greater every year. The
skill Of our manufacturers, artisans and
laborers will, in the future of our history,
be called into still further requisition, and
experience has shown that no nation
can afford to leave its commerce unguard-
ed upon the seas, The duty of ofprotecting
ours is now greater and more urgent than
it has ever been before.
The Secretary shows our dependency
upon foreign nations for the transporta-
ton OF our surplus productions to the mar
kets OF the world, and says II this condi-
ton OF affairs is to continue, our industrial
interests must be left to suffer further
injury and our iron, coal and tim
Der decrease in value. The enor-
nous freights we now pay will
continue TO press upon the producers OF
our surplus exports, our merchant vessels
will in the end be entirely driven from
sea. II, on the other hand, the
shall adopt shuch meas
ures as shall put the country in
. position to resume the benefits OF
its commercial enterprise and secure
the profits Of our own carrying trade
which properly belongs to US by means OF
such fostering care as the Nat
ional Government alone has tho
power to give them. Our navy
should have such strength and character
given to It that it will be able to furnish
protection to our commerce wheresoeyer
Il may be needed.
The remainder of the report is devoted
largely to account OF the condition Of tho
various navy yards in the country, the
Naval Academy and Torpedo Service, sug
gestions regarding training schools for
bows, &c. aa