The evening times., 1899-11-14

building now there under the charge of
the general stroekeeper, and Of providing
others, as l believe the losses to the Gov
ernment from stores that must be con-
demned for reasons stated above will be In
excess Of the expenditures necessary to pro-
vide proper storehouses. The bureau de-
sires to establish a naval-supply fund de-
partment at Cavite as soon as possible. as
the needs for such stores grow more ur-
gent each day. but is reluctant to do SO on
account of the loss which would necessa-
rily be involved"
Inspection of navy yard accounts and the
books of the pay corps are treated as fol-
lows:
Attention is invited to the propriety and
necessity Of establishing a suitable inspec-
tion OF navy yard accounts in the manu-
featuring and constructing departments.
The present regulations provide methods
for obtaining the cost in labor and material
of all products ranging from completed
ship to individual items of her outfit. Ex-
perience has shown. however, that without
careful and frequent inspection of these ac-
counts they may be irregularly or improp-
erly kept, thus defeating the object of the
system. As no inspection is now held. de-
fective or neglectful practices come to the
bureaus knowledge only in occasional in
stances: too late TO apply the proper correc-
ton, and also too late to fix responsibility
for lax methods, owing to the constantly
shifting personnel of officers and clerks in
navy yard offices.
THE necessity of official inspections Is
recognized as a principle in various
branches of Government work. An officer
of high rank in the pay corps is detailed as
general inspector of the books and accounts
of pay officers at the various stations, but
there is no such provision for examining
the books and accounts of navy yard me-
chanical and constructive work. 1t is
doubtful whether such inspection can be
satisfactorily had without further legisla-
ton. The work should be done by an in
spector equipped with a trained account
ants knowledge, and free from the affilia-
tions and interdependence that are inevita-
BILE between officers of the same service.
He should be vested with authority TO make
inspections of the widest scope. and should
be free from the constraint that is inevita-
Bile when the inspector today may tomorrow
be subordinate TO the officer inspected Ii
is strongly urged. therefore. that legislation
be asked for, creating permanent inspec-
tor for this purpose. 10 be attached TO the
secretary's Office
Efforts are being made to provide COM
forts for the naval officers in the Philip
pines and Alaska. on which the report
says.
The inability of officers to procure the
ordinary articles of provisions, etc. neces-
sary TO their welfare. in remote places
like Cayite. Guam and Siika. has recently
resulted In much personal discomfort to
them. The commander-in-chief OF the
Asiatic station asked for a naval commits
sary store department at Cavite and the
bureau desired TO comply with the request.
Arrangements had also been perfected by
which naval officers there would be per-
mitted TO draw commissary stores from
army commissaries. but the Comptroller
for the Treasury having decided that such
practices would be Illegal. and also that
there was no authority in law for the es-
tablishment of naval commissary store
departments. il was necessary TO abandon
both plans. Legislation granting TO Off
GERS and enlisted men of the Navy and
Marine Corps the privilege OF buying COM
missary stores from the army. and the es-
tablshment of a naval commissary store
department. with a like privilege to the
army at sucn places as the Secretary mi ght
deem necessary. is recommended"
Concerning the work of the army pay
corps the following statement is made:
I'm order TO meet the pressing demand
for officers for sea and other duty it is re-
spectfully urged that the pay corps OF the
navy be maintained at its full numerical
strength. and that the vacancies in the
grade of assistant paymaster be filled at
the earliest possible moment. There are
at this time only four pay officers unem-
ployed. of whom one is on sick leave and
three have recently finished cruises and
are awaiting assignment. 1t rare'y hsp-
pens that a pay officer can obtain leave of