National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-02-06
IMPROVED INSPECTION.
Senator Coekrell's Statement of Facts
in support of His Proposed Reform.

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Senator CoclSrell's Statement of Facts
in support of His Proposed Reform.
Senator Cockrell's statement Of facts"
to accompany the bill reorganizing the
steamboat inspection service and CONSOLE
dating the offices of supervising inspector
general of steamboats, and comms-
sioner Of navigation has been printed. 1t
is a mighty interesting document. His
proposition abolishes the offices OF
the foreign passenger steamers, inspec-
ton service, the supervising Inspector
general Of steamboats,, reduces the com
pensation of supervising inspectors of
steamboats,, equalizes the compensation OF
local steamboat inspectors, abollshes the
annual meetings of steamboat inspectors,
abolishes the board Of designatofs, pro-
vides better security Of the lives Of passen-
gers and the enforcement of penalties for
violating inspection laws, and provides for
paying officers of the inspection service.
As an argument In favor OF the COM
bining Of the two offices he points
to the fact that service now costs
$2sS, 1853. 95, and 146 persons are required.
The reductions he proposed will save to
the government $12i,300. The number of
vessels inspected In 1854 was OPAL, and the
senator says that 1900 can be inspected
under the new system. He says that the
positions of local inspectors can be
filled with first class skilled me,
chanics at $4,000 per year, and
that in view Of the fact that captains
Of steam vessels receive only 81 1850, pilots
$l,125, engineers 5000, and mates 5000,
there is no good reason why the government
should pay So, 900 to supervising inspectors
and So, 200 to boiler inspectors, when men
| equally competent can be employed at 81 500
and 81, 200, respectively.
The sixteen special inspectorR.Qf foreign
steam vessels he says, inspecVod 222 yes
| sells In 1884, while the expenses aggregated
S37,596.05, He proposes to give local In
| spectors the same authority over foreign
| vessels as over all others.
BY statistics he shows that the proposed
| system would be self-sustaining, and would
| even have balance to its credit. He sug-
| Gested that the civil service be extended TO
| this service, and examine ana appoint in
| spectOrs and assistant inspectors of hulls
and boilers, and that local inspectors, in
| granting excursion permits to steam vessels,
| secure to each passenger ten feet of room.
| In conclusion he says "By consolidating
| the bureau Of navigation and the Office Of
| supervising inspector general OF steam
boats, all matters pertaining TO navigation
| will be found In this bureau. The duties Of
| the supervising inspector general, as pre-
| scrihed by law, are ministerial excepting
| presiding at the meeting OF the board OF
supervising inspectors, which meets once In
each year,, the duties Of the office can las
| has always heretofore been the case) be
| performed by three clerks. The duties of the
| commissioner Of navigation, as prescribed
by law, require all matters excepting the
receiving Of all reports from inspectors)
| pertaining to registering, enrolment, and
license OF vessels, together with a general
superintendency of theseamen of the United
States, to be referred to him. BY requiring
| to be made to him, and assigning the three
clerks now employed In the office Of the
supervising inspector general to the bureau
Of navigation, the entire subject Of navlga-
| ton will be consolidated in one bureau, and
under the direction of one officer, subject
only to the Secretary of the Treasury