Evening star., 1900-04-05
MONEY FOR THE NAVY
Amount Carried by the Appropria-
ton Bill SOL, ,2l9,9l6.
WARSHIPS TO COST $2s,oo0,0oO
Armor Plate at $545 a Ton
Recommended.
OUR POLICY IN THE FUTURE

The naval appropriation bill was today
reported to the House by Acting Chairman
Foss Of the naval committee. The amount
carried by the bill is s61 .219 .916-the largest
ever reported to the House from the naval
committee.
Aside from this the report which accom-
panies the bill, is remarkable for its ar
rayal Of facts regarding sea power the
world over, foreign naval programs and the
comparative strength of the navies Of the
great maritime powers. accompanied by
colored charts showing the upbuilding of
the various great navies.
Under the head of naval program" the
report says as to new ships: For the pur-
pose of further increasing the naval es-
tablishment of the United States the COM
mittee recommend that the President be au-
thorized to have built by contract two sea-
going coast-line battle ships, carrying the
heaviest armor and most powerful ordnance
for vessels Of their class upon trial DIS
placement of about 800 tons, and to have
the highest practicable speed and great ra-
dius of action, and to cost, exclusive OF
armor and armament, not exceeding S5,-
600 900 each; three armored cruisers OF
about 1900 tons trial displacement. carry
ing the heaviest arTnor and most powerful
ordnance for vessels of their class and TO
have the highest practicable speed ana
great radius of action, and to cost, exclu-
sive of arrnor and armament, not exceed
ing 81 425O.0OO each; and three protected
cruisers of about 5000 tons trial diSplace-
ment, carrying the most powerful ordnance
for vessels of their class, and to nave the
highest speed compatible with good cruls-
ing qualities and great radius of action,
and to cost, exclusive of armament, not eX-
ceeding s., 800 900 each.
Continuing the report says:
Largest Naval Program.
1.-THE maximum cost of the ships herein
authorized, exclusive of armor and arrna-
ment, will be S2s35O.O00. This is the larg-
est naval program ever submitted by the
committee on naval affairs of the House
and is in accord with the wishes and rec
concentrations of the Secretary of the
Navy and Admiral Dewey. and will, we
believe. meet the just demands of public
sentiment. The past year in naval con-
struction has been marked by the most
liberal naval program on the part of all
foreign nations At the present time there
is pending in the reichstag of Germany a
naval bill which, if passed, will increase
the tonnage of the present German navy
1900 tons, a larger tonnage than that
of her present navy
Contracts for Armor Plate.
As to armor plate, the report tells of the
futile efforts to secure armor at $500 and
S4OO and says: 1.-The battle ships Maine,
Ohio and Missouri now in process of con-
struction, require 1883. 40 tons Of armor,
or 2.453.14 for each vessel. 1t is believed
by the committee that these battle ships
of nearly 1900 tons displacement the
largest in design which have ever been
planned by the Navy Department, should
have the best obtainable armor, and, ac-
cOrdingly, your committee recommend that
the Secretary of the Navy be authorized
to contract for such armor at cost not
to exceed S545 per ton. The best obtain
able armor at the present time Is. accord
ing to all naval authorities, the so-called
Krupp armor, which is at least, and has
been so proven by ballistic tests, of 25
per cent greater efficiency than that of
the Harveyized armor Every nation in
the world is using the Krupp armor today
Your committee believe that it is little
short of disloyalty to recommend any other
than the best protection and the best
armor for these battle ships to be placed
between the bodies of our officers and
men and the bullets of the enemy.
Under the last naval appropriation act
Congress authorized the construction of
the three battle ships Georgia. Pennsyl-
vania and New Jersey, and three armored
cruisers, West Virginia, Nebraska and CAL
ifornia, but inserted provision therein as
follows:
That no contracts for the armor of
any vesses authorized by this act shall be
made at an average rate exceeding $500 per
ton of 2,2iO pounds, including royalties,
and in no case shall a contract be made
IOI luS tOUSlTuCliOH OIL the nun or any VeS-
sci authorized by this act until contract
has been made for the armor of such ves-
sell
Your committee recommend that this re-
striction be removed and that contracts be
authorized SO that the construction of the
hulls of these vessels may go on without
further delay"
Our Naval Policy.
One of the most interesting features of the
report is that which discusses "our naval
policy" 1t gives the gradual upbuilding of
our new navy year by year under Secre-
taries Chandler. Whitney. Tracey. Herbert
and Long, and says: I'VE have a navy to-
day which includes a considerable number
of vessels of every class and ship for
ship it will equal that of any navy in the
world.
Seventeen years ago we had practically
no facilities for building ships, and what
we had were discredited. We were obliged
to buy our armament and armor, and even
in one case our pans. from foreign coun-
tries. Today we are not only building ships
in American shipyards of American ma
teria1 by American labor on American plans
for ourselves, but also for some of the lead
ing nations of the world. Such has been
the advance which has been made In naval
progress In our own country.
THE question may be asked, What shall
be our future naval policy?
Let bui'd have been building
gradually on broad lines and upon the most
advanced ideas of naval constructions; not
so fast that we will be ahead of the ad-
vance of naval progress. but slowly enough
to secure all the benefits of new improve
ments and new Inventions. or, better stir
to do as the American navy has always
done when given an opportunity, to lead
the march of the best naval construction.