Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1885-12-10
THE ARMY And navy.
First Annual Reports Of Secre-
tarieS Endicott and Whitney.
A Years Operations Of the War
and Navy Departments,

comprises br1e1y the usual routine OF the
department bureaus for the fiscal year end
ing June 80, 1885. After describing the loca
tion of the different squadrons, be draws
doleful picture Of our navy yards. 1t appears
that this property, ''aggregating in value
some fifty million dollars, . is falling rapidly
into condition of extreme decay. The re-
ports from the yards make frequent com,
plant Of buildings falling or about TO fall
roofs leaking to such an extent as to involve
the destruction ef property stored under.
meath; wharves so rotten that persons cannot
walk over them in safety; stone dry docks
which are required to be shored up with tim
Der; bad roadways, defective water pipes,
and in general such an extent of decay
and dilapidation as to imply a general
destruction. The report says: III it is
the policy OF Congress to maintain the navy
yards as shipyards, workshops, or depots Of
supply, it is manifest that the work of put
ting the buildings wharves and other ap-
purtenanceS in proper repair should be un-
dertaken at once, and should be kept up
from year to year, as the only alternative
must be the abandonment of all this property
to waste and ruin.n
In behalf of the Bureau Of Navigation he
recommends increased appropriations to se-
cure better system Of coast surveys, which
are urgently needed.
He concurs in the view of Constructor
Wilson that it should be the policy of the
government to maintain one large navy
yard, combining in itself the advantages and
facilities Of all the others, and advocates
League Island as the most advantageous site
tor this purpose. He believes that in this
case at least one-half our steel ships could be
built in our navy yards in competition with
outside establishments.
Mention is made Of the successful opening
faEk kI.A No. A
der direction of Rear-Admiral Luce. The
instruction consists of lectures on military
science, the art of naval warfare and marine
international law. This meets serious want.
The net amount drawn by the department
on warrants during the last fiscal year was
SIS, ,337 ,S67.T2, leaving a balance of 81, ,OSS,-
075. O9, which with the amount unexpended
In the hands of pay officers, leaves an aggre-
gate unexpended balance of 81, ,353, CAS-. Is. The
money spent this year is 1897, 755 81 less than
the net amount drawn in the fiscal year end
ing June 80, 1884
The navy estimates to be presented to Con-
gress for the next fiscal year amount to
S35, l04, ,695. Is, in which sum are embraced es-
Inmates for new objects, not those ordinarily
for the service, amounting to S16,069, $50. "a,
leaving for the customary purposes of the
service Sl9, ,034, 7449L They embrace: For
increase of the navy so, 503, no; for the com.
pletiOn and armament of the double turreted
monitors, S4, ,202, ,656, and for public works
and improvements at the yards and stations.
81, 26S, 33141.
Mr.. Whitney devotes considerable space to
history Of his controversy with John Roach,
already familiar to the public The secretary
favors changing the whole system SO long in
vogue and compelling the department here
after to mature all plans and specifications
thoroughly before advertising for contracts.
He has adopted this plan already in prepar-
f<x,.A Il.
cruisers and two gunboats, at a cost of nearly
S3,OO0,0O0 authorized by the last session Of
Congress.
Attention is drawn to the Importance
other countries attach to the torpedo boat
as branch of naval warfare by a tabular
statement of those possessed and in process of
construction. The United States have none
England has 129, and 55 more ordered;
Russia has 131, and IA ordered; France has
49, and 81 ordered; Germany has II. and 81
ordered, and even China has 8, and 10 more
ordered
The last half of Mr.. Whitney's report is de.
voted to review of what he calls long
standing abuses in the navy, and to suggest
ing remedies. He reviews the history OF our
naval construction since the war From
1868 to the present time over seventy-fiv
millions have been spent on construction, re-
pair and ordnance of vessels, for which we
have practically nothing to show We have
not a single vessel atioat that could en-
counter the ships of any important power.
lis, the report says, has been chiefly because
we have mot availed ourselves of the scien-
tific improvements Of the agein ship-building
and armoring. A naval vessel now is q
product of science. Each part of her is
absorbing the exclusive study of scientific
men. We have made no provision for keep
ing pace with this march of science, and
hence can show nothing of power in modern
naval warfare. Our educational ground
work is years behind the age The secretary
adds:
HI find myself forced, therefore, to the
conviction that everything connected with
the construction and equipment of our navy
is done with too little deliberation, and that
under the present organization of the depart
ment this cannot be otherwise | have oc
casion to know that the amounts found tc
have been expended upon the Omaha" anc
upon the 'sMohican" surprised no person:
more than the bureau officers who had been en-
gagged upon the work. Seeing the iII-adviset
and inconsiderate manner in which import
ant steps are necessarily taken by me under
the present system, / feel certain that a
similar record of mismanagement, of waste
full expenditure, of injudicious and ill-ad-
vised disposition Of public moneys might be
made by any secretary under the present
system"
To this he adds that whatever changes OF
organization may be desired, 1T is Of the
6rst necessity to separate, as much as prac-
ticable, the work of direction and delibera-
ton from the details of execution" in other
words that there should be in the construc-
tion of a navy, as in every other kind of
business, "a proper distribution Of labor.n