The Morris County chronicle., 1906-05-01
S 0opoo.ooo FOR THE NAVY
Committee Provides FOR Great
United States Battleship.
over $4,000, 600 For the Increase Of the
FOrce-Topedo Boat Destroyers and
Submarines Provided For.

Washington, D. C.--The Naval Ap
preparation bill was reported to the
House by Chairman Foss, Of the Com
mittee on Naval Affairs. The measure
carries a total of sos, ,734, ,215, against
estimates by the department aggregat.
ing $121565,71s. The largest single
item in the bill is that Of $20,O0O0OO
for pay of the navy. Under increase
of the navy there is appropriated $1T,-
S30,S29 for construction and machinery
and 15,145,0O0 for armor and arma-
ment.
Aside from these items the Bureau
Of Ordnance gets $S,4OS, 900; the Bu-
reau of Equipment, $6,974, OPS; con-
struction and repair, $7,7S2, ,S24; for
public works, under yards and docks,
-, ,S43, ,450, of which amount 500, $50 is
to be expended at the Boston yard,
$12S,500 at the New York yard, $780,.
500 at Charleston, $207 600 at Olon-
gapo, 100000 for floating steel dry
dock and $500. 600 for preservation and
repairs at navy yards.
The departments request for an in
crease Of 5000 in the number of petty
officers and men is refused because of
the fact, as stated in the report, that
the present quota of 81, 500 men, and
apprentices to the number OF $500, is
short Of being filed by about $500.
An appropriation Of 100000 is rec
commended for modernizing the batter
les of the Massachusetts and Oregon
and for new guns on the New York.
An increase of $1,OOO00 is made in
the appropriation for coal and trans
portation, due to the increase of the
fleet, and the requirement is made that
coal be shipped in American bottoms.
Under increase of the navy the bill
contains the following provisions Zone
first class battleship, carrying as heavy
armor and as powerful armament as
any known Of its class, to have the
highest practicable speed and greatest
practicable radius of action, and to
cost, exclusive of armament and armOr,
not exceeding $6,0OOO0O'
Three torpedo boat destroyers, to
have the highest practicable speed and
to cost exclusive of armament not to
exceed $T5O,00 each, are provided for.
The Secretary of the Navy is "au-
thorized in his discretion to contract
AOh VI purchase SuDSuTldC0 OF SuDIlld~
rine torpedo boats to an amount not
exceeding $1,O00,000."
The cost of such q program, it is es-
timated, will be $10,000,OOO for the bat
tleship, $2.250O00 for the three torpedo
boat destroyers, and 100000 for the
submarines, or total of $13,250, 900.
Regarding the big battleship, the re-
port says:
"The great naval powers of the
world are building battleships of large
tonnage. England has recently
launched the Dreadnought, a ship of
nearly $4,000 tons; Japan is building
one of even larger tonnage, and Ger
many has recently increased the tom
mage of some of her ships heretofore
authorized to $4,000 tons. The Secre-
tary Of the Navy recommended that if
Congress shall authorize but one bat
tleship this year it shall be the largest
and strongest battleship that is known
to be afioat'"
The committee recommends that the
limit of the cost Of the Connecticut be
increased to $4,600,000, an increase of
$380,000, made necessary "by the in
creased cost of construction in navy
yards"
The bill carries an appropriation OF
100000 to repair, equip and restore
the old Constitution and put her as far
as practicable in her original condition,
but not for active service.