The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-03-23

Provisions Made for Three Battle
ships of the First Class. and for
Number of Smaller Vessels to
He Added to the Navy-House
Committee Discusses the Military
Reorganization Act.
WASHINGTON, March 22.-The nav
al appropriation bill as reported to the
mouse today carries total of $35. $50 D58
an increase over last year of So 1874 1872
ana over the current estimates of 81
514,824.
For the increase of the navy the bill
allows to be constructed by contract
three sea-going coast defense battle
ships, designed to carry the heaviest
armor and most powerful ordnance,
displacement 900 tons, with the high
est practicable speed for their class,
TO cost, exclusive of armament, not ex-
ceeding 100000 each, one to be named
the Maine; six torpedo boats, $50 tons
displacement, and six torpedo boat de-
stroyers, about $50 tons displacement.
to cost not exceeding $2,340, 900; and
one gunboat to take the place of the
united States steamer Michigan, to
COST, exclusive of armament, not over
$26O,OOO, to be built on the great lakes.
One Of these sea-going battleships is
to be built on the Pacific coast.
The contracts for all these ships shall
be let within sixty days from the
enactment of the bill.
New Dry Docks.
For the construction of timber dry
docks, 100000 each is allowed, each to
be not less than 700 feet long and suffi-
cient to meet probable future require
ments of the largest vessels They are
to be located at Portsmouth, n. H,
Boston, Mass, League Island, Penn,
and Mare Island, Cal. The total cost
when completed not to exceed $3.50, 900
each.
At Algiers, La, a dry dock is to be
built Of steel floating type known as
the combined floating and craving self
docking dock), capable Of lifting a ves-
sci of $1,000 tons displacement and
twenty seven feet draft of water, to
cost, including mornings and wharfs,
$850,0o0, of which $1,000 is appropriate
ed this year.
The secretary is to direct the ap-
pointment of a board of naval officers
to determine the desirability Of To-
eating and constructing a dry dock in
the harbor of Galveston, Tex, and
to report to congress at the next ses-
sion.
The military affairs committee of the
mouse To-Day competed consideration or
the army reorganization bill and Or
dered a favorable report upon it. AS
agreed upon only a few changes were
made. The section authorizing the
president to recruit the skeleton regi-
ments "in time Of war; was changed
so as to make it more specific, limiting
such authority to a time of actual hos
tilities after a declarat ton of war had
been made.
An additional section was added as
| a precaution, providing that nothing in
the act should be construed as an an
thorization to increase the enlisted
force Of the army in time of peace.
Section S, empowering the president
to authorize each regiment to draw It'll
recruits from such state or states al
he might designate, was amended Sd
as to provide that each state should bt
entitled to furnish it's quota before rec
| cruits should be drawn from designat-
| ed states.
| Chairman Hull, Of the military com,
mittee, will secure action on the bill
at the earliest possible moment 1t may
require a special rule to get the bill
| before the house.