Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-03-20
MONEY FOR THE NAVY.
THE INCREASED FUNDS WHICH
MIR. CHANDLER ASKS FOR.

Publication of the Report Sent to the
Senate Appropriations Committee at
Its Own Request-AdditiOnaI Money
Asked for Nearly Every Department
to Which the Naval Fund Goes.
WASHINGTON, March I9-The Appro-
priatiOns Committee of the Senate agreed
to-day to make public the communication
sent to them at their request by the Sec
retary of the Navy, recommending apprO-
priatiOns for the naval service additional
to those contained in the naval appropria-
tion bill as it passed the House. In this
communication the Secretary of the
Navy asks that individual items
in the House bill be increased
as follows: To pay miscellaneous ex-
penses from $4,000 to $425, 600; for the
Bureau of Navigation from $4,000 to
Sl3l,OOO; for contingent navy expenses
from $4,000 to $25. 600; for the Bureau of
Equipment and Recruiting from $40, 900
to S9O3,0O0; for the Bureau of Medicine
and Surgery from $4,000 to $25, 900; for
the Bureau of Construction and Repair
from Sl,020000 to 81, 750, 900; for the Bu-
reau of Steam Engineering from $3.50, 900
to $l,2OO,OOO, of which increase it is sug-
gested that 100000 should be applied to
the completion of the machinery, boilers,
etc, of the steamer New York, at the
New York yard.
ORDNANCE FUNDS.
He asks that the appropriations for the
Bureau of Ordnance be-made as follows:
General appropriation, including civil
establishment, 1892, ,234; miscellaneous
items, $4,000; purchase of torpedo boat
and working drawings of same, $55, 600;
for machine cannon, Gatling guns, mag
azine rifles and machine tools, $273. .21O,
and for additional steel breech loading
guns, $599, 400, and states that the sum of
100000 appropriated by the House bill
for the Bureau of Yards and Docks is
manitestly inadequate to meet the re-
quirements of that bureau. Each of the
requests for additional appropriations is
accompanied by statement from the
chief of the bureau, for which it
is asked, setting forth the necessity
for such an increase. The other addition
al appropriations recommended by the
Secretary of the Navy are as follows:
Completing batteries of new cruisers.
S5O3, ,992; completing four double-turreted
monitors, and for ordnance for the same,
$2OOO,OOO. 1t is suggested that authority
be given for their completion and for pro-
curing their armament.
FUNDS FOR NEW VESSELS.
1t is also recommended that 20 Ter cent.
OF the amount appropriated for the COM
pletion of cruisers and their machinery
should be made available Immediately, in
order to meet payments on con-
tracts which are likely to become
due before July /, 1884, and
that there be appropriated $1,000, 900
towards the construction of one cruiser
of 1900 tons displacement, one cruiser of
5000 tons, one dispatch vessel of 1.5OO
tons, two heavily armed gunboats of 900
tons each, one light gunbOat of 750 tons,
one gunbOat not to exceed 900 tons, one
steel ram, one cruising torpedo boat, and
two harbOr torpedo boats as provided in
Senate bill SOS passed by the Senate, and
that the construction of these vessels be
authorized.
PLENTY OF COMPETENT FIRMS.
The Secretary says, in connection with
the latter recommendation, that it is de-
slrable to correct some of the erroneous
statements that have obtained more
or less credence with reference
to the new cruisers recommended
and the cruisers now under
construction of the same general tvpe.
and he states that, although it has been
asserted that there can be no real cOmpe-
tltl0n for the construction of steel vessels
by private parties because only one or
two ship building firms can do the work.
this assertion is entirely without founda-
ton. For the cruisers now under cOnsId-
GRAFTON, thirteen firms have furnished the
department with the necessary evidence
OF their ability to undertake the work,
and OF these thirteen eight were actual
bidders on one or more of the vessels