The herald., 1896-12-08


mission but two armored vessels, the
double -turreted monitors Miantonomah
and Monterey. Since that date of ves-
sells heretofore authorized there have
been placed in their first commission,
three first class and two second class
| battleships, two armored cruisers, one
harbor defense ram and five double-tur-
reted monitors. including the Maine and
the Puritan, just completed.
Eight new armored cruisers and two
| gunboats have also been commissioned
The Iowa, another battleship, will be
completed about March 1, and at least
| four more gunboats will be ready for
sea in the early spring. 1t is gratifying
, to state that our ships and their outfits
are believed to be equal to the best man
ufactured elsewhere, and that such
notable reductions have been made in
| their cost as to justify the statement
! that quite number of vessels are now
being constructed at rates as low as
those that prevail in European ship
yards.
| MANUFACTURING FACILITIES.
Our manufacturing facilities are at
| this time ample for all possible naval
| contingencies. Three of our government
| navy yards. those at Mare island, Cal,
Norfolk, Va, and Brooklyn, are equip
ped for shipbuilding; our ordnance
plant in Washington is equal to any in
| lne WOrlu, anu dl Tue lOTpeuo StdtioH VIC
| are successfully making the highest
grades of smokeless powder. Three first
| class private shipyards-at Newport
| News, Philadelphia and San Francisco
are building battleships; eleven con-
| tractors. situated in the states of Maine,
| Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, New Jer-
sey. Maryland, Virginia and the State
| of Washington. are constructing gun
| boats or torpedo boats.
Two plants are manufacturing large
| quantities of first-class armor and am
| munition factories are producing to-
| mobile torpedo and power proJectiles,
| rapiG-flre guns and everything else nee
| essary for the complete outfit of naval
| vessels. There have been authorized by
congress since March, 1893, five battle
| ships. six light-draft gunboats. sixteen
| torpedo boats and the submarine tor
| pedo boat. Contracts for the building or
| all of them have been let. The secretary
expressed the opinion that we have for
| the present a sufficient supply of cruisers
| and gunboats, and that hereafter the
construction of battle-ships and tor
| pedo boats will supply our needs.
Much attention has been given to the
| methods of carrying on departmental
| business. Important notifications in
| the regulations have been tending to
| unity the control of ship building as far
as may be under the bureau of construc-
| ton and repair and also to improve the
! Ilpuc VI SuPPiico ipi VIC
| navy by the bureau of supplies and ac-
counts. The establishment under re-
| cent acts of congres supply fund
| with which to purchase these supplies
| in large quantities and other nodifica-
| tions of methods have tended materially
| to cheapening and better quality.
The war college has developed into an
| institution which it is believed will be of
great value to the navy in teaching the
science of war. as we'll as in stimulating
professional zeal in the navy, and it will
| be especially useful in the devising of
plans for the utilization, in case of ne
| cessity, of all the naval resources of
| the United States. The secretary has
persistently adhered to the plan he
| found in operation for securing labor a
| the navy yards through boards of labor
| employment, and has done much TO
make it more complete and efficient.
| The naval officers who are familiar
| with this system and it's operation eX-
press the decided opinion that its re-
suits have been to vastly improve the
| character of the work done at our yards
and greatly reduce its cost. Discipline
| among officers and men of the navy has
been maintained to high standard and
the percentage of American citizens has
| been very much increased
| The secretary is considering and will
formulate during the coming winter
plan for laying up ships in reserve, there
| by largely reducing the cost of MAIN
tanning our vessels afioat. This plan
contemplates that battle-ships, torpedo
boats and such of the cruisers as are
not needed for active service at sea
.. shall be kept in reserve with skeleton
crews on board to keep them in condi-
tion, cruising only enough to insure the
efficiency of the ships and their crews
in time of activity. The economy to re-
suit from this system is too obvious to
| need comment.
The naval militia, which was author
lied few years ago as an experiment
has now developed into a body of en-
terprising young men. active and ener-
getic in the discharge of their duties,
and promising great usefulness. This
| establishment has nearly the same rela-
tions to our navy as the national guard
in the different states bears to our army
| and 1t constitutes q source of supply
for our naval forces. the importance Of
which is Immediately apparent.
INTERIOR AFFAIRS.
The report of the secretary of the in"
terror presents a compre hensive and
interesting exhibit of the numerous and
important affairs committed to his su-
pervision. 1t is impossible in this COM
munication to do more than briefly re-
fer to few of the subjects concerning
| which the secretary gives full and in
structive information. The money ap-
propriated on account of this depart
| ment Tor its disbursement for the fiscal
year ended June 30 1896, amounted to
more than $157 100000 or a greater sum
than was appropriated for the entire
maintenance of the government for the
two fiscal years ended June 80, 1896 Our
public lands, originally amounting to
| l,S40 900 900 acres, have been so reduced
that only about 600, 600 900 acres still re-
main in government control, excluding
Alaska. The balance. being by far the
most valua BILE portion, has been given
away to settlers, to new states and to
railroads, or sold at comparatively
nominal sum.
PUBLIC LANDS.
The patenting of lands in railroad
grants has progressed rapidly during
the year, and since the 4th day of March,
1893. about 900 acres have thus
been conveyed to htese corporations.
agree with the secretary that the re-
mainder of our public lands should be
more carefully dealt with and their alien
alton guarded by better economy and
greater prudence. The commission ap-
pointed from the membership of the
| National Academy of Sciences, provided
for by an act of congress. to formulate
plans for a national forestry system,
will, it is hoped, soon be prepared to pre-
sent the result of a thorough and intelli-
gent examination of this important sub
ject.
INDIAN AFFAIRS.