Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1892-03-14
BUILDING 4 NAVY.
House Committee on Naval Al.
fairs Make 4 Report,
Saying That We Ire Gaining 10 ON
Naval Operations
And Advise More Vessels Besides Those
Already Being Built.

WAsHIsGros, March l3 -Repress nia-
tive Herberl OF Alabama. casiimsn OF toe
House committee On IsyAi s2i ATS, has pre-
pared An elaborate report TO accompany the
naval appropriation bill recently reported
to the House.
The bill sppropristes S23 32G 1928, or
So sl4,S ,S3l less thxn the amount appropri-
At the .ecood session Of the 5lss Congress.
and IS i67 SIG les, than the department,
estimates.
TIE report says this reduction is made
without impairipg the progress of our rev
navy in 4 great part, because Of the large
surplus that will remain on hand expended
and to the credit Of the increase of the
navy" at the end Of the present fiscal year.
The committee reduced the limitation be.
You'd which no repairs can be made TO
wooden ships from 20 TO 10 per cent of the
original value Of the vessels ard further
provided that no new boilers shall be made
for any wooden vessels.
The committee excepted from these lin
itations the kearsarge and Hartford, be-
lie wing that in view Of their historic service
these vessels should be kept As patriotic
memorials Of the past.
Speaking OF the refusal OF the committee
to recommend considerable number Of
Improvements recommended ut the navy
yards and stations, the report says the COM
mittee in no case has refused to recon-
mend any expenditures which seemed TO
them res!iy At the present to be 3 necessity.
Speaking Of the matter Of the increase
Of the navy" under which hesd the bill ap-
propriates some millions Of dollars less
than the act for the current year, the re-
port Gays: appropriations for this pur-
pose, each fiscal year from 1887 TO and If =
GLIDING the current year, were greater than
the expenditures for the reason thSt in no
one Of these years has the progress in ship
building or in the manufacture Of armor or
guns been as rapid as the authorities had
reason to hope for and expect"
The report states that the authoriz alton
of ships has not been unressons BILE and the
results Of our efforts to establish plans for
building chips, for armor plates, gun forg-
ings, assembling Of guns, has been, cou-
sidering The results attained, extremely
gratifying
The committee is unanimously of the
opinion that every dollar should be appru-
pYiated necessary to complete the vessels
heretofore authorized.
1t also believes it should be the sett ed
policy tf Codgress to auIhorize the con-
struction of one or more new vessels al
each re gulsr session until We have prGyid-
ed q considerably larger number of fight
ing ships than we will have when those su,
thorized are completed.
The Cbilian imDroglio, continues the X =
port, developed the fact that our people at
large quite approve Of the holiday in which
we are engaged, of rehabilitsting the navy.
Every one who consideres the welfare
and honor Of the whole country must
recognize IS every President has done from
George Washington down to the present
day. the necessity Of putting ourselves in a
condition to resist attacks coming from the
sea.
The report calls attention to the difficult
ties encouBie cred in dome sticatiDg IN this
country the industry Of msnufscturiug
heavy steel armor for vessels sni 10 the
fact that The Bethlehem Icon Co, whose
Armor plant is said to be untquslled in the
world, has only just fairly begun the de-
livery of armor plates and is not yetup to
the monthly requirement..
There are II vessels for which srmor il
yet TO be furnished, and it will take until
1894 to complete the delivery o. this So
NOR. amounting to Is 900 tons, even If the
contract requirements are kep..
fhe MAJ j1rity Of the committee decided
that it would not be best at present to au-
,horize the construction Of another bsttit
| ship. The reports says we do not need tl
build great and expensive navy, but il
would be well now 10 form some defaite
| idea of the position we are to occupy anon z
naval powers.
To regain our relative position among
navies that we occupied plier to our civi
war is rot too much to attempt.
| The committee thinks eight or nine
! bstileships. IN addition to the three
slreAdy authorized, vouli give us suff
| cient navy.
The msjo,ity Of the committee recon
men1s the suthoriz ition OF one strong and
swift commerce destroyer of the type OF
ths Nep York, whose sTm0r can be manu-
fsciu;ed much more easily and more with
much less delay than can the heavy armoI
for battleships.
BY extending the construction OF new
essels needed over series of yesrs the
report says We shall avoid mistakes and
shall keep the appropriations within modeI
ate bounds each year,
The committee thinks our success il
shipbuilding 'hus far is remarkable.