Evening star., 1902-04-28

~ AVA " l.
no one claimed that the product will be i'm
proved upon through government construc-
ton, and IL the Secretary of the Navy and
Admiral Bowles be correct, the vessel con-
structed in the government yard win cost
the government over million dollars extra
Tor the experiment
Armor Plate.
Another one of the questions which has
vexed the committee heretofore has been
that of armor plate. where to have it made
and the price to be paid for it. This ques-
tiQn, however, was substantially settled in
the provision in the naval bill of two years
ago that armor should be obtained by con-
.ract under open bidding. and giving the
Secretary of the Navy discretion in case he
should not secure it at a price which he
might deem to be reasonable to construct
an armor plate factory and embark upon
its manufacture. The contracts secured
under this provision were SO entirely satis-
factory that L think TO all reasonable men
the question may be regarded as settled.
Certain it is that we are now obtaining
the best armor plate at the lowest price at
which any nation in the world can procure
it. There is no provision in the present bill
changing in any way the present status OF
this matter.
More Officers and Men.
"a great deal of hard study has been
thrust upon the committee as to how prop
erly to provide for the required increase
in the navy personnel to meet the increase
in the material. Law requires that all
naval officers must be graduates of the
Naval Academy. A number of years ago be-
fore we embarked on the construction Of the
new navy the Naval Academy was turning
out more officers than was needed, and
result number Of officers were mustered
out of the service. When we commenced
building new ships, however, we did not
provide for any increase in the number of
cadets at Annapolis, and today 1t would be
absolutely impossible for us to properly
man all of the ships in our navy with a
proper quota of officers if they were all
put into service at the same time. Conse-
quently when the new ships authorized in
| this bill are completed the lack of officers
will be very serious matter. To meet it
the bill provides for 500 special or addition
al cadets, to be appointed at the rate of
12o year for four years. The appoint
ments are to be apportoned among the
senator's representatives and the President.
The President is to have twenty-four ap-
pointments, while each senator, member
and delegate is to have one each, on the
basis of the new apportionment. In ad-
dition to the increase in the number. of
officers the bill provides for $500 additional
enlisted men in the navy, which will make
total of 25,000 men.
Experiment Station.
"The committee has thought it advisable
| to establish an experiment station at An
napolis, together with testing laboratories.
| as an adjunct to the bureau of marine
| engineering. This adjunct will be used to
| enable engineer officers In the navy to take
| postgraduate courses where desirable, to
| the end that line officers may be more fully
| and thoroughly equipped in this important
branch of the service. The idea is borrowed
| from the German government, where such
| an institution has proved very successful
| and vastly important in strengthening the
| engineering corps.
The Navy Ration.
| Another thing that the committee has
engrafted into the bill is provision which
modifies and increases the navy ration,
| which has been in use in it's present form
| for over a quarter of a century. and against
which serious complaint has been made be-
cause of It's inadequacy in both quality and
| quantity. The new ration is in accordance
| with the recomme endation of a special board
| of naval officers appointed to investigate
the subject, and will cost 30 cents per day
| per man, compared with p cents, at
| present.
Training Quarters.
Another question which the committee
| has been considering, but which has not
yet been settled. is whether the navy shall
| train it's men aboard ships or at training
| stations shore. The bill provides for the
| appointment of a board of officers to ascer-
/ tain the most desirable location which can
| be obtained on the great lakes for a naval
| training station, in case we shall deem it
| wise hereafter to provide for such sta
| ton.
Improvement of Yards.
I'm the last two appropriation bills a
| large number of improvements have been
authorized at the navy yards at Ports
| mouth, Boston, New York, League Island.
| Washington, Norfolk and Mare Island. In
| this bill the policy of the committee has
| been to finish-the improvement already be-
| gun at these yards. but not to add to or
| make any new improvements thereat to any
| considerable extent. Substantially a new
naval station is provided to be started at
| Algiers, La. near New Orleans, where we
| have already Installed very fine steel dry
| dock which has proved to be a perfect sue
| cess. The great battle ship Illinois was re-
| Gently docked in this floating dock in less
| than one-half the required time, and with
scarcely an abrasion of the keel blocks The
success of this dock has encouraged the
committee to order another to be shipped
| in sections or noated to the Philippines.
| This was deemed to be far more economical
| than to provide for the building of the pro-
| posed navy yard at Olongapo, in those
| islands. The facts would seem to indicate
that the docking of our naval vessels in the
| Philippines is an absolute necessity. be-
| cause of the enormous charges demanded
| for this work at Hong Kong.
| Puget Sound Yard.
| "The committee has been thoroughly con-
! WINGED that one of the finest navy yards in
| the world can be built most economically
| at Bremerton, on Puget sound, in the state
| of Washington. Consequently the appro-
| priaton in this bill for that yard is very
| much larger than it has been heretofore,
| the amount being $I4S, ,5O0-the largest
amount appropriated for any single one of
| the yards
| In conclusion, Mr.. Dayton declared the
| present bill to be the most carefully pre-
| pared. thoroughly digested and in all re-
| spects the most satisfactory naval appro-
| priation bill presented to Congress since he
| had been a member of the committee.
j. STERLING MORTON DEAD.
Was Secretary of Agriculture in the