Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1892-03-14
CASH FOR THE NAVY.
This Years Appropria-
tions Cut Down.
REPAIRS ON OLD VESSELS,
What Will Be Done in Congress This
Week The Sick List.

WASHING roy, March 4--Representativs
Herbert Of Alabama. chairman of tho
house committee on naval affairs, has pre-
pared sn elaborate report TO accompany
the naval appropriation bill recently 70,
ported to the house. The bill appropriated
t23, Ts5.s2i. ar sS,si4ssl less than tho
amount appropriated st the second session
OF the Fifty.frst congress, and $J,407. $40
less than the department estimates. The
report says that this reduction has been
made without impairing the progress Of
our new navy In great part because of the
large surplus that will remain on hand
unexpended to the credit of increase Of
the navy" at the end of the present fiscal
year
The committee reduced the limitation
beyond which no repairs shall be made TO
woo'len ships from ~ TO 10 per cent. Of the
original value OF the vessels aud further
provided that no new boilers shall be
made 70; any wooden vessel The commit
tee excepted. however. from these limita-
tions, the Kesrsarge and the Hartford,
believing that Ia view of their historic ser
vices these vessels should be kept -
patriotic memoi isls Of the past
Speaking OF the refr sal OF the committee
to recommend considerable number Of
improvements recommended mt navy
yards and stations, the report says the
committee In no case refused to recon-
mend any expenditure which seemed to
them really to be present necessity.
Speaking OF the matter Of
Increase Of the Navy"
under which head the bill sppropriates
some millions Of dollars less than the act
~, lxan . L.
The appropriations for this purpose In each
fiscol year from 1857 to. and including the cur
rent year, have been greater than the expendi-
lures, for the reason that In 40 Quo Of three
years has tho progress In sbipbuilding or In
tn. manufacture Of armoy or guns been -
rapid as the authorities had reason TO hope
for or expect.
Tie report stats that the authorization
of ships has not been unreasonable, and
the result Of our efforts to establish plants
for huildi ny ships, for armor plates, gun
forgings, and the assembling Of guns, have
been. considering tho results attained,
extremely gratifying. The committee Is
unanimously Of the opinion that every
dollar should be appropriated necessary
to complete the vessels heretofore
authorized. II also believes that 1t should
be the settled policy of congress TO author
ize the construction of one or more new
vessels mt each regular session until we
shall have provided considerably larger
number Of fighting ships than we will
have when these authorize are completed.
The Gillian imbroglio, continues the re-
port, developed the fac. TINT our people at
large quite approve OF the policy in which
we are engaged of
Rchabilitating the Navy.
Every one who considers the welfare and
honor OF the whols country must recog-
nfZe, as every president has done from
George Washington down to tho present
day, the necessity Of putting ourselves ia
condition TO resist attacks coming from
the sea.
The report calls attention to the difi-
culties encountered In domesticatibg Ia
this country the industry of manufactur-
Inc heavy steel armor for vessels, and to
the fact that the Bethlehem Iron company,
whose armor plant Is said TO be unequaled
In the world, has only jus. fairly begun
the delivery ~ armor plates and Is not yet
up to mon hly contract requirements.
There are twelve vessels for which armor
is yet to be furnished, and IL will take
until 1894 to complete delivery of this
armor. amounting TO 1900 tons. even II
contract requirements be met The ma
jori;y of the committee, therefore, has do
eide that IL would not he hest at present
% authorize the construction OF another
battleship.
Tive report says that We do not need to
build a great and expensive navy, but it
would be we'll now to form some definite
idea Of the position we are to occupy
among naval powers To regain the rela-
tive position among the navies we occupied
prior to our civil war IL not too much to
attempt The committee thinks eight or
nine hattleships. In addition TO the three
already authorized, would give us suf.
ncicnt navy.
Tho majority of the committee recon-
menls the authorization Of Que strong and
swif; commerce destroyer OF the type Of
the New Yorl whose armor can be mana
iactured much more easily and with much
less helsy than can the heavy armor for q
hai,leship. by extending the construc-
tion of the new vessels needed over series
OF yrnrs. the report says, we shall avoid
mistakes and shall keep appropriations
withih moderate bounds each year