Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-12-05
A NEW NAVY NEEDED.
Report Of Secretary whitney.

| NAVY NEEDkDs
Report Of Secretary whitney.
SIXTEEN MILLION ESTIMATED FOR NEW YES
Sells AND GUNs-THE CRUISERS WHICH ARE
NOW UNDER wAY-REORG ANIZATIoN OF THE
| DEPARTMENT RECOMMENDED, ETC.
The Secretary of the Navy. in his annual re-
port 70 the President, recommends that Decora-
ton day be added to those days mentioned in
the joint resolution approved January 6, 'S5,
upon which per diem employees Of the govern
ment shall be allowed holiday with pay.
| -- THE ESTIMATES
Tor the navy FOR the fiscal year ending June 80,
1887, amount to $50, 1O4, 69o. Is, in which sum
are embraced estimates for new Objects not
those ordinarily for the service, amounting to
Sl6,O69.95O.24, leaving for the customary pur-
poses OF the service 9,O34, 74491. They em-
brace for increase of the navy S1O,5O3 TO- for
the completion and armament Of the double
tu nre am monitors 656 and for public
stations $4,26S, 337.41.
THE NEW NAVAL VESSELS
The Secretary makes q statement of the
course pursued in regard to the four new naval
! vessels appropriated for at the last session of
Congress. and says that the ships are likely to
| be finished at period long prior to the probable
completion of their armament, for which no
appropriation has yet been made. He relates
In detail the acti' MS Of the department in regard
| to the new cruisers Chicago Boston and Atianta
and the dispatch boat Dolphin, as well as the
punian; Inc Dolphin. as she now is, ne says,
should be regarded as a pleasure boat rather
than as a dispatch boat.
THE WASHINGTON NAVY YARD, ETC.
Attention is called to the recommendation OF
| the bureau of equipment and recruiting for the
| acquisition of a modern plant for the rolling
| mill, chain shop and forge and anchor shop at
| the Washington navy yard.
he recommends that some remedy should pc
| found for the long delay in promotions and the
| inequality in the working out Of the present
| laws.
In treating of future appropriations for new
ships, the Secretary says. Cruising ships we
must have, unless the policy of continuing re-
pairs upon worthless ships is to continue, or
unless We are to abandon the national duty of
aftord1ng the security and protection of our
| presence and power throughout the world
wherever our people sojourn.'
The Secretary recommends that the $500 ex-
pended by Admiral Jouett at the New Orleans
exposition In extending Inequalities to visit
ors 10 the tennessee. which WAS checked against
him In the Treasury department. be allowed
and appropriated for, and suggests the annual
appropriation Of from three to five thousand
dollars for such purposes.
REORGANIZATION OF THE DEPARTMENT
| NEEDED.
The greater portion of the Secretarys report
Is devoted to a thorough consideration of the
organization Of the department, which he di-
| vides into three branches. as follows: The
military department., having to do with the
personnel and the fleet: the department
department. of finance and accounts:
Business OF the financial department, instead
OF being brought under one head, is now scat
| tered through all the bureaus. Without an effi-
| cient head 20 establish system and attend to
| its proper enforcement i'm the matter of pur-
chases, one would expect to find large private
purchases where contracts were intended by
law, and the business falling into the hands of
| naval contract brokers to the exclusion of
chases for the year ending June SO, 1855,
amounted to SS41 ,2S5. 81, while the purchases
| by contract amounted to only a little over a
| million The Secretary does not question the
good faith OF the bureau officers, but considers
/ the abuses inevitable under u system of such
divided responsibility. With a concentration
| of responsibility upon one individual the
| financial operations, the Secretary holds, would
| center at a single point, and suggests that a
| person equipped with the business training and
| experience requisite for the effective discharge
| of such a trust might more readily be selected
from civil life than from the naval service.
WE HAVE NOTHING THAT DESERVES TO BE
| CALLED A NAVY.
| At present, the Secretary says, it must be con-
coded that we have nothing that deserves to
be called navy, although the country has ex-
| pended since July LIST. 1865 over seventy-five
| millions OF money on the construction, repair,
equipment and ordnance of vessels, which sum,
| with very slight exception, has been substan-
| TALLY thrown away. the exception being a few
| ships now in process OF construction. ut is
questionable whether we have single naval YES
! sci finished and aflOat at the present time that
could be trusted to encounter the ships Of any
| important pOWer-a single vessel that has either
the necessary armOr for protection, speed for
escape, or weapons for defense. This country
can afford to have, and it cannot afford to lack,
| a naval force at least so formidable that its
| dealings with foreign powers will not be infiu-
| enced at any time, nor even be suspected OF be-
| ing influenced, by consciousness of weakness
| on the sea-" To have and maintain such navy
| is he believes, the wish OF the country and the
| duty OF the government.
| In this connection the Secretary favOrs "the
policy of enlisting private enterprise in the
| work.
NEED OF EXPERT ADVISERS TO THE SECRETARY.
| The Secretary, the report says, should be pro-
vided with board or boards for consultation,
consisting of naval officers and experts, most
of them comparatively free from executive du.
| ties, whose duty it should be to assist him in
solving the technical problems OF the depart.
| ment
| The system of organization as recommended
| requires aids or advisers to the Secretary ian
assistant secretary being an essential feature)
and one person at the head of each of the three
natural divisions OF the department, the finance
construction and personnel. 1t calls for no addi.
tional expenditures.
EXTENDING THE CITY,S STREETS.