The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1906-02-08
OUR WASHINGTON
NEWS AND NOTES
ITEMS OF INTEREST BRIEFLY
CHRoNIULED.
Chairman Foss Making an Effort to
Find What Has Been Done With
100000 Which Disappeared
From Navy Books.

Auittc6 Oh Naval AHdlIS IL enSaScuc III
q quiet hunt to ascertain what has
become of about $6,000,00O that has
mysteriously disappeared from the &C
countingg books of the Navy Depart
ment. It is not charged that the mon
ely has found its way into the pockets
of grafters, but it is suspected that
the department has ignored the naws
Of Congress and used those specified
In the legislative acts. The facts in
the case are these: The naval appro-
priation bill last year carried about
$S,OOO,O0O for repairs Of warships un-
der the Bureau Of Construction and
Repair. The same bill gave about
100000 for repairs to the boilers
and engines Of vessels, under the Bu-
reau Of Steam Engineering. The
bookkeeping accounts of the depart
ment show that only about $6,O00,000
of this money was used for repairing
the hulls, boilers and engines Of YES
sells. The balance was not turned
back into the Treasury, and the ques-
ton is, what has become Of it? There
is well-developed suspicion in the
minds Of Chairman Foss and his as
sociates on the Naval Committee that
the missing $6,000,000 was diverted
by the department to permanent i'm
provements in the various navy yards,
such, for instance, as the construction
Of buildings, the purchase of tools and
supplies, and the expansion Of the
working plants. This is about the on
ly way to account for the expenditure
Of so vast a sum. Chairman Foss
proposes to clear up the mystery, and
has called on the department for an
itemized statement Of the manner in
which the money was expended IF il
should turn out that it was diverted to
building up the navy yards and to 9TH
ers not contemplated by Congress,
somebody will be soundly thumped for
the violation Of the law involved. A
few years ago the army engineers de-
cided they needed big dredge. Con-
gress refused to appropriate for one,
so the engineers calmly took enough
money from the various projects I'M
der their charge and built dredge,
for which they received a sharp "call
down from congress. Congress is in
a mood just now to resort to stringent
methods to curb what is termed dis
regard of the laws by naval officers
and the Navy Department. The navy
has come in for constant criticism on
this score ever since appropriation
matters were first taken up early in
the session. Chairman Tawney taught
Secretar Bonaparte bitter lesson the
other day by refusing to make up the
81, 600, 900 deficiency which the latter
incurred, and as result Of this refus-
al more than 1000 navy yard en-
ployees lost their positions. Chairman
Tawney is responsible for the inquiry
which Chairman Foss is making, for
the former made the discovery Of the
big discrepancy between the amount
appropriated for repairs and the
amount actually expended. Although
only about 100000 was spent last
year for repairs to the hulls, boilers
and machinery of warships, the de-
partment has asked for next year 3d.
000, 900 more than was appropriated
last year, or $14,0OO,O0O in all. Mem
bers of the Navy Committee are thor
oughly disgusted with the submission
Of such huge estimates Of appropria-
tions, and the queer methods of dis
posing Of the moneys allowed. These
practices are giving the navy black
eye and will lead to the inevitable re-
suit Of Congress giving little or moth
ing for permanent improvements. One
member Of the committee said to-day
that the only remedy for the diversion
of appropriations to purposes not con-
templated by Congress was to cut the
allowances down so low that there
would be nothing left for side fea.
lures.
"'While the joint printing commit
tee Of Congress has not proposed .
single line Of legislation at the pres
emit session, the agitation for reduc-
ton Of government printing already
has resulted in . prospective saving
Of . million dollars year. Charles
B. Lands Of Indiana, chairman Of the
House Committee on Printing, made
this statement at the conference with
tho President. Representative Lands
says the committee is continuing its
investigation into the wastefulness OF
government printing.
As . result Of the visit Of General
Ohaffee and the party Of American
officers to France last summer where
they viewed the French maneuvers,
the general staff has decided to adopt
y