The herald., 1896-10-19
MANY MILLIONS
WANTED FOR WAR
Secretary Lamont Makes
His Estimates
OF Cost OF The NATIONS Defense
Fifty-three Million Dollars q
the sum
SEACOAST DEFENSE WORK
Has Been Diligently Prosecuted for nouf
Years Past
sEAcoAsT DEFENSE WORK
Has Been Diligently Prosecuted for rouf
Years Past
And Especially Under Appropriation Of ~
Last Congress
If the Money Asked Is Given Very Aa1aD
Progress Can Be Made Toward Maj
ing the United States I'm
conquerable.
Associated Press Special Wire

WASHINGTON, Oct. 18.-SecretnlY
Lamont will tomorrow transmit to the
secretary of the treasury his estimator
of appropriations required by the war
department for the next fiscal year. The
aggregate is $52,S75,63S.
The estimate for the running expenses
of the war office in Washington il ST.
464236. showing, the secretary says. q
reduction in the annual expenses for
salaries and contingencies in that ONCE
or $62l,942 from the estimate or four
years ago. The other estimates in de-
tail are as follows:
Pay of the army as fixed by law. s13.-
522SS0; subsistence Of army, 81, ,659. .Ss7s
quartermasters' supplies. $2,200, 600; In,
cidental expenses Of the army, $60o. 900:
barracks and quarters, including hos
pitai construction, $S2a e00 shooting
ranges, $4,000; cavalry and artillery
horses, $l30,000; army transportation.
s2'ooo,ooo; clothing, $1.100,000: medical
supplies, $l4O,2O0; ordnance department.
Sl,lSl,0o0; military academy, $521. 1.S12:
arsenals, $139. 1856; military posts, nation-
al cemeteries and national parks, 81
5os,3SO; national soldiers homes. 50. .44s..
2la; artificial limbs for soldiers of thu
late war, $4,000; public buildings and
grounds in Washington, $12s, s92; miscel.
laneous items, $402.0O0; rivers and har-.
bors. IS, ,000 to meet payments on ex-
! listing contracts the department 1t tbis
time being unable to say what sum win
| be required by future contracts for which
authority exists.
The estimate for fortif1cations and sea.
coast defenses has been increased to s15..
n
says, which will be required to continue
this work at its present rate of progress.
which has been appreciably advanced
by the large appropriations which be-
came available on July 1st last.
In connection with this estimate the
secretary made public statement Of
the condition of this work and of the ad-
vance that had been made, and results
that can be effected by this increased
appropriation which he asks.
On July 1. 1898, but one modern gun
had been placed in position On the 1st
of July, 1897, the department shall hava
| completed defenses with armament al
follows: Thirteen 12-inch; thirty-seven
lO-inch; eight 8-inch and four rapid
firing guns and eighty 12-inch mortars,
The remainder of Secretary Lamont's
| letter transmitting the estimates is -
historical nature, reviewing the pro-
gress made in seacoast defense. He says
that for the fifteen years preceding 1880
no appropriations had been made for
engineering work on our permanent
coast defenses except the small and
steadily decreasing sum annually allow
ed for the protection. preservation and
repair" of existing works.
But small amounts have been granted
for the construction of mining casemates
and for the purchase of material for SUBJ
marine defenses. while in 1883 and 1859
total of about $4,000, 900 had been ap-
propriated for modern guns, mortaru
and carriages. In 1890 was made the
first appropriation, s1.211 900 for modern
gun and mortar batteries, followed by
one of $75O,000 in 1891 and by another Of
100000 in 1892. This money was allotted
by the department for construction work
at variousl ports, including a total OF
four 12-inch, twenty 10-inch, Ave S-inch
and two rapid fire gun emplacements,
and sixty-four 12-inch mortar emplace-
ments. None of them, however, could
be made ready to receive its armament
until after the first small appropriations
made in 1898 and the two succeeding
years. Practically, therefore, 1t was the
secretary says, devolved upon the war
department since 1898 to make provision
for the completion of nearly all these en-
placements.
| 1T appears" the secretary says, that
! seventeen out of twenty-one 12-inch en-
| placements, fifty-flve out of sixty-six
| 10-inch emplacements. twenty out oR
| twenty-five S-inch emplacements, four.
| teen out out of sixteen rapid fire em.
| placements and ninety-two out Of one
| hundred and fifty 12-inch mortar EN-.
] placements have been entirely provided
for during the last four years, and that
during the same time large part az
those previously provided for have been
prepared to receive their armament.
For this favorable showing, much =
due to the liberality of congress and ii
recent session. The number of emplace-
ments provided by the act OF June Z.
1896, is just fifty in excess of the total
provided by all preceding appropria-
tions."
The progress in armament has boGn
equally satisfactory. Figures are given
to show that prior to the act Of June I.
1896. there had been completed olxty.