The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1906-08-18
THE NAvY's COSTLY BUNTING.
Each Ship Carries $50 Flags-The Total
Expense Is 100000 a Year.

Slowed away on every ship of the
United States Navy, from tugboat to
$4,000 ton battleship, is bundle of
flags. shoulder high and about fifteen
feet long. About half the lot is com
posed 81 foreign Bags, which are en-
cased in thick paper bags, with the name
of the country steneilled on the end OF
the bag. The remainder, including those
for ordinary use, are not wrapped, but
tied in round bundles and ettered The
pile contains $50 flags, the regulation
number each ship must carry.
The making Of this number of flags
costs the United States 100000 year,
81 which 10000 is paid for material
alone. Each ship has forty-three for
eign flags on board constantly. These
flags are twenty-five feet long and thir-
teen feet wide. With these on board
the ship is prepared to meet and show
the proper courtesies which naval ETH
quette demands TO all nations whose
high officials should come aboard or
whose waters the vessel should enter
while on a cruise.
AS ships quota of flags is renewed
every three years il is no small Job 10
keep enough flags on hand and to this
end Uncle Sam keeps a large flag max
ing establishment running at full blast
the wear round az the Brooklyn navy
yard. Here there are nearly one hun
bred skilled needle-women working
every day of the year, except Sundays
and holidays cutting the vari-colored
bunting into strips and sewing and
stitching them together in their proper
place.
The most difficult part of the work is
the making of the foreign kags, for some
Of them, be il known. are fearfully and
wonderfully made Take, for example,
the flag Of san Salvador In the back
is bclching volcano, pouring forth IFS
lava and white smoke on the sides Of
the mountain is the green foliage and
shrubbery. Directly in front * 4 tram
quill sea of sapphire blue. Above the
volcano is rising sun. set in design
Of Overlooking cofnucopias, and dia-
mond, from which the rays are scintil-
lating IN every direction. To the right
and lett Of the volcano are draped- in
varied design, banners which laborously
try 20 pstters the Stars and Stripes, and
vet not show the plagiarism. Aroung
the whole Characterization is n wreath Of
cactus lovingly embracing the volcano,
while at the top the date Of the coun-
try's independence is inscribed
To make a flag Of San Salvador cost
the Government Just $3.50, and when
one Of these fage is placed on each bat
tlesbip every three years it can be read
lily seen that the insignificant little re.
public to these nth Of rs is really cost-
ing the taxpayers of the country more
than they would care TO admit.
Then there is the dag Of China, with
its long, crawling, mythical blood rcd
dragon. TO make that flag costs the !.
Government something like $40. The
flag Of Costa Rica, with its scenic beauty
Of mountain and sea, costs $50, nearly
as much ~ the eostliest OF them all,
that of San Salvador.
The largest flag made by Uncle Sans
flag makers the United states ensign
NJ. I, which Is thirtysix feet long and
nineteen feet wide. 1t costs $40 to turn
ont flag Of this style.
The Presidents flag, while not the
largest, requires the longest time Of any
to make, as il takes one woman whole
month TO finish Washington Post