The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1884-12-12
UNIFIED STATES NAVY.
The Annual Report of Secretary
Chandler.
Recommendations for Increasing
the Nays Efficiency.

The delayed annual report of the secretary
Of the navy shows that the expenditures of
the department in the fiscal year which closed
June 30, 1884, were ST, 90, 6O1. The estimates
Tor ordinary purposes and public works for the
next fiscal year are S17,S6065S The esti-
mates for the increase of the navy are
S15,0n ,512. In this sum is included
81, 1921 54 for the completion of the mont
tors, 81, 5i2, 600 for new cruisers and gun
boats, 81, 900, 900 for armored vessels, $2,001,
9lS for ordnance for cruisers and gunboats,
and 81, 1856, 600 for other purposes, including
two training banks and rined ordnance One
half of this sum for the increase of the navy
will be needed for the coming fiscal year
Much of the report is devoted to the new
steel cruisers. Secretary Chandler says the
criticisms advanced against them last year
IRE of little moment and based upon
theories at variance with the progress
of modern ship building. The
Atlanta has been launched, the
Boston is ready for launching, and the Chica-
go is nearly COMPELLED The objection to the
machinery in the Chicago are met by the
satisfactory performances of the Louisiana,
whose machinery is similar, and the peculiar
Gillian vessel Esmeralda, which is the latest
development of naval construction in Eng
land. 1t is unfair, the secretary thinks to
compare the cruisers, unfavorably, with the
large ocean racing steamers, because the
ocean steamers attain their speed only by the
sacrifice of qualities essential to ship of war.
The new cruiser will, however, be able to
overtake ninety-six per cent. of the
merchant ST. amers of the world. The manu-
facture of such modern high-power guns as
are needed for the cruisers being wholly new
in this country, is slow and difficult, and the
cost is greater than if they We're procured
abroad. The secretary recommends the con-
struction of seven modern cruisers annually
for ten years, as measure calculated to give
the country at moderate cost a navy adequate
to train its officers and maintain its safety
and honor He adds that the speediest and
most economical way to remedy the defence
less condition of our coasts and harbors is to
complete the partially constructed monitors
The secretary believes that the policy of
trying at great cost to rehabilitate worn-out
vessels under the name of repairs is the true
explanation of the disproportion between the
expenditures end the results accomplished in
naval administration.
The secretary holds that only two naval
workshops should be maintained on the At
lantic coast and on the Pacific The New
London and League Island yards should be
restored, the Boston yard sold or reduced in
size, and the Pensacola and Portsmouth yards
kept for naval stations. He advocates the
exclusion of politics from the management of
the navy yards and workshops.
The practice OF securing the solicitation of
persons OF political or social influence to Sc.
cure agreeable duty for officers or to effect
the restoration by legislation of officers who
have been dismissed is, in the secretary S
opinion, demoraizing to the service, and
should be stopped. The retirement of two
captains for every captain promoted and of
one commander for every four commanders
promoted would, he thinks, benefit the navy
by fastening promotion and eliminating Off
GERS disqualified for active service. Naval
officers should be employed in the vessels of
the revenue marine and the lighthouse estab-
lshment
Concerning the recently discovered frauds
in the bureau of medicine and surgery, the
secretary says that they We're made easier by
the frequent use of the ext gency clause under
which purchases are made without advertis-
ing The chiefs of all the bureaus We're di-
rected in December, 1888, to conform to the
law requiring purchases to be made by adver-
Using and in July, 1884, they were told that
the public exigency had not required SO large
proportion of open purchases as had been
made. He adds that the amount of suspected
vouchers is Sl24 ,S35, but that, as some of the
goods paid for were delivered, the loss would
be less than that sum.
The expenses of the Greedy expedition. the
secretary says, were $762, 1896. He recon-
mends that the Thetis and the Bear be re,
tanned by the government for surveying pur.
poses. The report concludes with the asser.
Zion that the only way to encourage the es.
Enlistment of American ocean steamship
lines is through government aid in the form
of bountieS for the construction of vessels OF
payment for carrying the mails.