The Washington times., 1902-07-24
Secretary Moody Drawing
Lines on Government
Yard Construction.
PAY OF THE NAVAL OFFICERS
To Be Charged Up as Part of Cost, With
Addition of Expenses of Education
and Period on Retired List-A Close
Calculation.

Secretary of the Navy Moody has de-
termined to find out to the very penny
the cost of building the battleship Con-
necticut. which is to be constructed en-
tirely by the Government at the Brook
lyn navy yard. He wants exact figures
whether it Is worth while, from the
standpoint OF economy, to have the
Navy Department build its war YES
sells or get private shipbuilders to do 1t.
So conscientious is Mr.. Moody in car
rying out his plans for keeping ac-
count of the cost of the Connecticut
that he will even Include the amount
of regular pay received by the naval
officers who will be assigned to the
construction work. But Mr.. Moody
does not stop there in making out the
salary accounts.
A Close Calculation.
He thinks that the actual pay re-
ceived by naval officer does not fully
represent the compensation he re-
ceives from the Government. 1t Is Mr..
Moody's idea that the pay received by
an officer during the time of his serv-
ice as naval cadet or midshipman'
and for the period OF time he spends
on the retired list. should be Included
in figuring out Just how much money
II costs the Government to have him
on its rolls while he is engaged In look
ing after the building of the Connect
lieut..
According to Mr.. Moody's way OF rea-
soning. an officer assigned to duty with
the vessel during the period OF construc-
tion should be considered in the same
light as an employe of private ship
building firm engaged in carrying out
contract for the Navy Department HIS
regular salary and the extra allowances
to which he is entitled while on shore
are the first items OF expense to be
jotted down in getting at the total OF the
cost of his services.
Education and Retired Pay.
To these Mr.. Moody would add the
average cost for the period of con-
struction of educating him TO be an of-
ticer and for paying him literally dur
ing the time he is doing nothing for the
Government as a retired officer.
Mr.. Moody has told the Paymaster
General to find out whether 1t is prac-
ticable to include in the expense account
of building n fairly accurate estimate
of the items of cost of education and OF
maintenance on the retired list, figuring
out an average for the period that the
Connecticut is in the hands of the build
ers.
A professional marine architect en-
ployed by a private shipbuiiding firm
gets his education as such at his own
expense. while a constructor OF the
United States Navy who stays at the
Naval Academy for four years. and then
goes abroad or to some technical school
in the United States to be perfected for
the duties OF the construction corps. re
ceives compensation from the Goverh-
ment for the entire time that he is be-
ing educated for performing his duties
as naval officer.
The constructor remains in the naval
service until he is sixty-two years old.
when he is placed on the retired list
for the rest OF his natural life. receiv-
ing during that time three-fourths of
the pay of the highest grade which he
attained on the active list. The marine
architect employed by a private firm
gets no compensation after he is too
old TO work.
Mr.. Moody's Method.