The age-herald., 1899-01-01

Che usefulness of the officers of the navy and the fighting machines they commanded { 1t wonld have been very cheap lesson had they cost the two millions that 1t was at nrst Exported had been spent in ammuni- fion.
 The naval programme of the United States Authorized for this year will require the Expenditure of nearly S50,000 900; 1t calls. for the completion of no less than fifty-ive lFessels, it includes the establishment of scomplete fleet of transports numbering labout sixteen; and 1t will probably increase the number of sailors to over 10000 men, These ngures-looked at from the viewpoint of year age-seem stupendous.
 But they represent nothing more than taking to heart "the lessons of the war in spirit that is consistent with our na- tional idea of the economical administration of both the army and the navy.
 THE EXPENDITURE.
 Forty y-five millions may seem a good deal to expend in one year. When compared with the sums allotted by the other naval powers 1t is a veritable bagatelle, as the following figures, from an official report, will show.
 Great Britain is building or about to build 10S ships, upon which she will expend s107,- OO000o, and will increase her personnel by 6,300 officers and men this year. Russias programme of naval expansion calls for aL expenditure of ISIS 900 900. France is adding to her fleet at an expense of sl44 300 900. Germany has programme looking to the expenditure of $240 coo 900, and Japans pro- gramme requires the expenditure of s1s2,- S90,00o. Yet small as our expenditure may seem in comparison with these, the Comple- tion of the fifty-five vessels of our new navy3swill place the United States in h.rd place among the great naval powers.
 In addition to the already large fleet, in- cluding the auxiliaries, actually in commis- sion at the present time twenty vessels are in various stages of readiness and the ship builders are getting together the material for thirty-hve others. Of these fifty-fve fighting ships, eight are first-class, heavily armored battleshps one Is powerful cruiser, four are monitors, and thirty-eight are torpedo boats.
 A tabulated statement of the degrees of completion of the twenty vessels now nearly ready for commission or rapidly ap- iproaching that condition shows that seven- 'teenz Of these vessels have already been launched and that tho others will be afioat before the end of this year. Of the five bat tleships, the Kearsarge, the Kentucky and the Illinois building at Newport News, Va, are respectively 6s. 66 and 55 per cent com pleted. The Alabama, at the Cramp yard, Philadelphia, has advanced to 63 per cent. and the Wisconsin. which was launched at the Union Iron Works San Francisco gently, is exactly half finished. Of the ten torpedo boats the twenty-six knot Rowan (No. 8. at Seattle, is rated at 99 per cent. The thirty-knot Farragut (No. ID, the first of the destroyers to be finished by the gov ernment, has already been tried by the Scotts at San Francisco. The Dahlgren (No 9 and the T. A. M. Craven (No. 10), thirty-knot boats, building at Bath, Me, are listed at 90 and S1 per cent. complete, but will not be deliverable to the govern T11n fxrrn # n and half knot boats, the Davis (No. 12), and the Fox (No. 13). at Portland, Ore. are practically ready for trial. The Mac kenzie (No 1O) has just been completed by Hilman & Co.,, of Philadelphia.
 THIRTY-KNOT DESTROYEFS.
 sThe status of the remaining three thirty knot destroyers is as follows:
 The Stringham tNo. 19 at Wilmington Del, 4S per cent; the Goldsborough (No. 20) at Portland Oregon, 2S per cent, and the Bailey (No. 2D, at the works of the Gas Engine and Power company, of New York 97 per cent. The submarine torpedo boat Plunger at Baltimore is within 15 per cent of completion, and will probably be put into service next month. Two twelve-knot tug boats which are now being built at navy yards, have made rapid progress, the Pena- cook at New York, being rated at 65 per cent. and the Pawtucket, at Mare Island. at 60 per cent. The sailing ship Chesa- peake building at Bath Iron works. for use as a training vessel at the naval academy is 30 per cent. ready
 The last ship under construction, except those whose keels have not been laid is the cruiser Albany, building at Armstrongs. Elswick England. She was only 40 per cent. completed when purchased, together with the cruiser New Orleans, from the Brazilian government just before war with Spain was declared. and work was only