The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-24
EXPENSES OF TIE NAYT.
Large Increase or Fighting Strength with Cor
parativeiy Small Increase or Cost. .

Large Increase or Fighting Strength with Com.
parativeiy Small Increase or Cost.
WASHINGTON. Jan. 23.-In view OF the largo
increase In the navy of late years, involving q
great sum Of money for new construction, there
10 q general impression that there has been a
correspondinRly largo increase OF the cost Of
maintaining the service. and that the new yes
sells, in proportion to their value, arc far moro
expensive than the old typo. Even sthe average
naval officer is inclined to believe that the mod
ern ships require more merely to keep them
going than tho wooden craft. whereas tho figures
compiled by the Navy Department of the annual
expenses. including the cost OF repairs, crew.
stores, pay. and coal, show that the now
navy does not cost the Government SO very
much moro than the old and considerably loss
IL the strength and fighting efficiency is COM
pared with that of the fleets seven years ago.
In 1890 the displacement of cruising vessels In
commission the whole year was 1851 tons.
Tho cost per ton for pay OF crew was $50 and
total cost per ton Ss3. Sovon years later tho
cruising displacement had jumped to three
times that, or 1876. $50; the cost per ton for pay
Of crew was $3l, and the total cost per ton had
dropped to $50. 1t is to be noted. therefore,
that the pay OF crews Of the new ships is noarly
q constant proportion Of total cost, being 80 per
cent. of 1t in 1890 and 80 per cent. In 1897.
An increase Of 1877 per cent. in cruising dis
placement, with only II per cent. increase in
pay Of crows. and 70 per cent. in total cost,
would seem to be satisfactory, but as o matter
Of fact the real increase has been much less than
these figures would seem to indicate. The APP
preparation for the pay of the navy was 8 1880
600 in 1890, and only $780, 1878 seven years
later, with the enormous increase in the fight
ing strength Of the fleets. In 1890 but "a per
cent. Of the appropriation was spent for the pay
- Dr,,tofr~ ahtna In communication fnr Tho -L-In
year. In 1897 SO per cent. Of the appropriation
was so spent. Sixty per cent. moro officers and
80 per cent. moro mon spent tho year 1897
cruising ON ships than in 1890, yet the appropri-
alton for pay of tho navy was increased but
11lo per cent. The figures of the experts show
that in 1890 there were but three ships attached
to the home iieet. Of which one was q now vessel,
the total representing q tonnage of but 6, 1886.
costing 70 maintain in service service s5so SSS mI se Sea
%s ssS. %sS al % Sd an ' hdBs., with .hS { sDss : nee. q s g.;
ss.s7ft.ss5. Thros;tourths Of tho Ss.s Is had ada :
greater tonnage. than the combined four had
or tie Pacific station in 1890 there were seven
% 11a ssapss b. II los sSG ofisssrs w ana s 4 sG %on. and 81 oe sssG9:
vice. Now there are six modern ships and two
old ones on the station, with o tonnage that has
risen to %. 69l. manned by 1856 officers. 1,7s1
men. and costing to keep In service for the year
81. 1892. 165. The Asiatic feet had five old
wooden vessels in 1890. with q total tonnage Of
but I, 1890, with 81 officers and s42 men; This
month 1t has five now ships and one old one,
representing o displacement of 1926 tons,
carrying ITO officers, 1873 mon. and costing to
maintain S1.0O0,0O0. The cost of maintenance
Of the same station seven years ago was about
100000 and all the ships were Of the wooden
class.
On the European station the four new vessels
comprising what was known as tho white squad
ron, the four original Roach cruisers, were on
temporary duty; These ships represented q
This month there arc four cruisers on the sta-
ton, with o tonnage Of over $4,000, with 90
officers. 1,204 men, and costing to maintain
about 1881 900. On the South Atlantic station
the navy supported the old Richmond and the
dilapidated Tallapoosa. with u total tonnage OF
Now 1t has the same number Of ships, all new,
300 900 moro q year to keep there.
A recapitulation shows that the total dis
placement OF the navy has advanced from A.
81 tons in 1890 to 1856 39 tons In 1897; that
has advanced In tho same period from 5O7 to
S22, and the number of men from 5,l3l to
9.23l. The pay Of the crows In 1890 was 3d.
aga .39A, and In 1897 1t had advanced to "a. POT
653. Tho total cost of maintaining the whole
s sss 70 II ~ 5t lSs sS xs5 yS EAR e jq%gsdb d from 9,s 9 Sac;
figures show that tho fighting strength has been
more than trobbled. the tonnage 10 nearly four
times as great. and the cost of keeping the ser
vice In commission has advanced only a little
more than one-third. The Same figures show
cruiser New York or Olympia in commission as
It did seven years ago to run the whole South
Atlantic feet, and sometimes the Asiatic.