, 1884-12-06
THE PROPOSED NAVY.
Bill Chandler, the Jolly Tar,
Makes a Report
Charges Against Treasury Of
ticials Being Inquired Into.
Some Features of the Iron In
dustry Trouble.
Secretary Chandler's Report.

WASHINGTON, December 5.-The an
nual report Of the Secretary of the Navy
was made public to-day. Secretary
Chandler says three new ships have been
successfully launched and it has been
shown that our steel makers can readily
furnish excellent material in large quanti-
ties, its high quality being assured by the
tests adopted. The Department is con-
6rmed in the opinion that criticisms ad-
vanced last year against the new ships
were of little moment or based upon
theories at variance with the progress of
modern ship building. Comparisons Of
speed between the new cruisers and the
great transatlantic racing steamers are
unfair. because the latter attain their
speed only by the sacrifice of qualities es-
sential to ships of war. They are unpro-
tected, unwieldy and of enormous draft
and dimensions. The new cruisers could
overtake 90 per cent of the merchant
steamers in the world. The rates Of speed
assigned to the new ships are based on
very conservative calculations of their
probable performance and they will un-
doubtedly exceed the estimates, but the
inst unarmored cruisers of the new Amer
lean feet are not intended for comparison
in speed with unprotected racing ships of
enormous size or indefensive power with
the modern iron clads. The Department
in adopting the recommendation of
the Advisory Board for additional new
vessels calls special attention to the neces-
sity for torpedo boats.
In general the Secretary recommends
the construction of seven modern. cruisers
annually for a period of ten years. Such
a plan, he says, while conforming to the
conservative plan of our national policy,
and affording ample time for adopting
every new device in the construction,
would give the country at a moderate cost
4 navy adequate to train its officers and
maintain its safety and honor. In regard
to the existing navy, Secretary Chandler
says: 1T appears from the condition Of
the feet that at the end of fifteen years
the only cruising vessels in the present
list remaining will be three small iron
vessels, the Monocacy, the Alert and the
Ranger. The real explanation of the dis
proportion between expenditures and the
results accomplished in the naval admins
~tration, is to be found in the policy Of at
tempting at great cost to rehabititate the
worn out structures under the name of
repairs. The repairs and construction in
the absence of a fixed law limit are terms
easily interchangeable and the published
statements of expenditures under the first
rame during the many years show that it
is only too apt to mean the second.
The Bureaus are unrestricted in their
expenditures for repairs, except by the
gross amount of their annual appropria-
ton. The practice of reconstructing yes
sells under the name Of repairs is only a
pretezt upon which our overgrown navy
yard establishments could be justified, and
itappears instead of maintaining our yards
for the advantage and benefit Of our
ships, the ships have dragged out a pro-
tracted existence for the benefit of the
yards"
Concerning the navy yards, the Score
tary holds that the only two naval work
shops should be maintained on the At
lantic coast and one on the Pacific. The
New London yard should be restored to
Connecticut and the League Island yard
to Philadelphia. The Boston yard should
be sold or reduced in size. The Pensa-
cola and Portsmouth yards may be kept
for naval stations. Work shops would
then be at New York, Norfolk and Mare
Island. These need certain i'm
provements in the organization.
First, all politics should be ex-
Guided from their management. Secondly
responsibility for the work must be more
definitely fixed.