The Hawaiian gazette., 1906-02-13
BILL
IN CONGRESS
fMnI specInl 10 the AdvcrlIrer.l

| WASHINGTON. d. g.. Jan. 2p--
The Navy Approximation bin. Chairman
| Foss said today. will not be completed
aud reported to the House for over a
month. Ii may not be before the mid.
die of March. Already. however. there
| is evident in both branches of Congress
| n disnosition 10 applv the prunino knife
more riporouslv than ever in reeent
wears. Heretofore Chairman boss IN.
generally sided with the demands of the
NAVY Department and its LARGE bureaus
| for very large appropriations. Now he
is practically In accord with Speaker
/ Cannon and other House leaders To
keep the navy expenses down. !.
Tho House ComnHAee on appropria-
tons enforced the economy program in
refusing to vote large deficiencies for
| navy bureaus ON the bin which was
passed last week. Chairman Tawney
who led in that work. said TODAY that
the figures had become appalling. "We
have much TO saw he added "about
what a great project the Panama Canal
is. But we do not stop to think that il
is costing us almost as much to run
our navy every wear as according TO
| present estimates. il will cost to build
that canal.n
Last years naval appropriation law
carried about $lO2. 100000 and n large
| sum over and above that will be re.
ouired TO make nm deficiencies. II
| would be several millions should Con-
gress vote all the bureaus are asking.
| Congressman are ponderinp over the
proportions of those figures more than
they were Mt the last session. when the
| chief objections were that the naval
| appropriations were preventing appro-
| priations for public buildings and other
local projects. Now their reasoning
| goes beyond that to n realization Of
| how the expenditures for the navy have
been growing and what n diaieult thing
| il is going to be to check that increase
| For the first time there il something
approaching unanimitv of opinion in
| the Senate and House about what tn,
propram sbould be. Sneaker Cannon
and Chairman Tawnev are not MT odds
about IL. as tbev have becn for the
most mart ever since Mr.. Foss was put
Mt the hend of House Naval Affairs by
Speaker Henderson. The House Navy
| Committee. too. is pretty much of one
opinion on tho eubiect. whereas hereto.
fore there have been two factions on,
for economical and tho other Far lib.
|
Mr.. Foss favors giving attentior
largely to the navy personnel in the
bill his committee il now framing. He
reasons that in the annual navy laws OF
| the last few wears great attention has
been given to material features. like
now Sims and navy wards. He aues.
tions the advisability of authorizing
any further battleships Mt present. as
several ships are now building and two.
authorized last wear. have not even
been begun. He likewise thinks there
should be decided curtailment of OK
penses in the navy wards. whc-c ne
cordinp to the department q figures.
only about $6.0OO,OO6 worth of work Is
! being done annually. The Committee
4 has taken no action on these matters
yet. but il is known that it's members
are largely in accord with their chair
man 8 views
| The disposition is TO blame the bu-
reau chiefs for much of the pr ant con-
dition. Congress has followed thaE
recommendations to "A considerable He
gree. 1t has voted many millions for
| navy ward imDrovements as an exmm
pie, and now finds That much of this
money has been lavishly spent. Con.
| gressmen are now saving that these
officers have been spoiled do not ap-
preciate the value of money. and in,
variably want an equipment for n
| given kind of work far more expensixo
than n business man would expect in n
private undertaking. MANY complaints
are also made about the use of ships
for maneuvers. The largest and best
of ships are used, involving great ex-
penditures. where. some claim. smaller
ships that would answer every purpose
could be operated at less cost.
The House Committee is not disposed
to change the existing personnel law,
whereby all naval officers are expected
to perform engineer duty. The English
navy has now adopted something very
much like our personnel law. which is
cited by legislators at the Capitol as a
good reason why they should not make
anv change inst Mt present The Com