The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-12-10
THE NEW NAVY.


of the event.
THE NEW NAVY.
The work of the navy department anu
its present conditions are fully eXhloleu
in the report of the secretary. The con-
struction of vessels for our new navy
has been energetically prosecuted by the
present administration upon the genera!
| lines previously adopted, the departments
having seen no necessity Tor raalcal
changes in prior methods und,r when
the work was found to be progressing
! in manner highly satisfactory, II LAS
been decided, however, TO proNile III
every ship building contract mat l-.t
| builder should pay all trial expenses, an"
! il has also been determined TO pa! no
speed premiums in future contracts 1ne
premiums recently earned and some YET
! to be decided are features OF the eon .
reached On March /, 1888, there were
| in commission but two armored. vessels
tbe double turreted monitors Mlantono.
moh and Monterey Since that date OF
vessels Heretofore authorized there nave
been placed III their first COMMISSION
three 'first-class and two second-ciass
| hattleships, two armoreu cruisers ohS
harbor defense ram, hve doupie luIIe ~
monitors, including the Maine anu tne
| Puritan, Just completed. Eight new una
mored cruisers and two new guhpoals
| have also been commissioned. Another
battleship will be completed about Marcn
/. and at least four more gunboats VII
| no ready for sea in the early spring. IL
| is gratifying TO state that our SHIPS anu
! their outfits are believed to be equal to
the best that can be manufactured tlse-
where and that such notable feducLots
| have been made in their cost as TO JUSTIFY
| the statement that quite NUMBER ol
vessels are now being constructed ~
rates as low as those that pre'aA III
European ship yards.
Our manufacturing facilities are at
this time ample for all possible naval CON
| tingencies. Three of our government
navy wards. those at Mare Island. Cal,
| Norfolk. Va, and Brooklyn, \. y, are
eouipped for ship building; our ordnance
plant in Washington is equal to any IN
| the world, and at the torpedo station we
are successfully making the highest
grade of smokeless powder. Three
| tirst-class private ship yards at Newport
! News. Philadelphia and San Francisco
are building battle ships, eleven contrac-
tors situated in the states of Maine
| Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, New Jersey.
Maryland, Virginia and the state OF
| Washington are constructing gun boats
Tor torpedo boats. Two plants are man
| ufacturing large quantities of frst-class
armor and American factories are pro
| ducing automobile torpedos, powder, pro-
! iectiles, rapid fire guns, and everything
| else necessary for the complete outht OF
| naval vessels. There have been autho-
rized BIZ congress since March, 1888 five
battle ships, six light draft gun boats,
sixteen torpedo boats and one submarine
torpedo boat Contracts for the build
| ing of all of them have been let. Inc
secretary expressed the opinion that we
have for the present sufficient supply OF
cruisers and gun boats, and that here
after the construction of battle ships and
| torpedo boats will supply our needs.
Much attention has been given to the
methods of carrying on departmental
business. Important notifications III the
regulations have been made tending to
unity the control of ship building as TAR
as may be under the bureau of construc-
ton and repair, and also to improve the
mode of purchasing supplies for the navy
by the bureau of supplies and accounts:
| The establishment under recent acts OF
congress of supply fund with which to
purchase the supplies in large quantities
| and other notifications of methods nave
tended materially to their cheapening ana
| 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 well as in stimulating
professional zeal in the navy, and 1t will
| be especially useful in the deyisinG OF
plans for the utilization III case of ne
cessity of all the naval resources of the
! United States The secretary has per-
sistently adhered to the plan he found in
operation for securing labor at navy
yards through boards of labor employ
ment. and has done much to make it more
complete and efficient. The naval officers
| who are familiar with this system and
| it's operation express the decided OPINION
that its results have been to vastly I'M
prove the character of the work done at
our yards and greatly reduce ITS cost:
Discipline among the 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
I! formulate during the coming winter
plan for laying up ships in reserve, there
by largely reducing the cost of maintain
| ing our vessels atioat. This plan contem-
plates 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 condltlOn, cruising only
enough to insure Of the ships and their
crews in time of activity good account.
| The economy to result from this system
! is too obvious to need comment. '.
THE NAVAL MILITIA.
The naval militia which was autho-
rized few years ago, as an experiment,
has now developed into a body of enter
prising young men, active and energetic
in the discharge of their duties and prom
Using great usefulness. This establish
ment bears nearly the same relation to our
navy as the national guard in the differ
ent states bears to our army and 1t con.
stitutes a source of supply for our naval
forces, the Importance of which is I'M
mediatcly apparent.
INTERIOR DEPARTMENT.
The report of the secretary of the in
terror presents a comprehensive and in
teresting exhibit of the numerous and
important affairs committed to his super
vision. 1t is impossible in this communi-
cation to do more than briefly refer to q
few of the subjects concerning which
the secretary gives full and instructive
information.
The money appropriated on account of
this department and for its disburse-
ments for the fiscal year ended on June
| 30 1885, amounted to more than one