The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1907-07-09

Efficiency of Brcmcrton Navy Yari.
Washington, July 6.-Heads of naval
bureaus manifest a singular ignorance
of the plans of the administration to
notwithstanding the official Confrma-
tion OF the reports that had been So
frequently denied in the beginning
These bureau chiefs assert that they
are engaged only In the routine work
Of the department and that they arc
the great undertaking. They also as
sert that they have had no orders tn
do otherwise. And on the surface
there are few signs of abnormal aC-
tivity in Washington: many OF the
chiefs are away; the naval general
board is scattered; the usual proper
tiOn of subordinate employees are on
leaves OF absence. and the war and
navy Departments appear 10 be in the
usual summer lethargy
But it is undeniable that the plans
OF the department workers fOT this
particular summer fit in very well with
the eXigencies of the moment. In the
matter Of coal supply, for instance. II
may be that the movement OF this fuel
to the Far East and the Pacific coast
is simply equal to the average demands
| of the naval service. In fact, il Is said
that the coal would have gone forward
before THIS had the money been avail
able which IL YtnIn hn
ming Of the new fiscal year. Then, the
supply of naval reserve guns and am
munition and OF torpedoes Is found To
be much nearer the needs OF the ser.
vice than it has ever before been at
this season of the year. The construc-
tion of guns for the new ships is pro-
crossing very we'll and without doubt
the armament will be found 90 be
ready by the time the contractors have
finished the hulls and fittings Of the
ships. Headway has even been naoe
in the fabrication OF the great guns
for the two big 10000 ton battlesnips
although the contracts for these have
not been finally signed
Only the routine expenditures Under
the ordinary heads OF appropriation
for construction and repair and on
account Of yards and docks are being
made on either the Atlantic or Pacific
coasts, according TO the officials here,
but. as Secretary Metcalf pointed out.
one of the items is dry dock at the
naval station at Puget Sound and Il
would not be surprising IL a special
effort was made TO dredge on. the
charael at the Mare Island navy yard.
so as to make the dry dock accessible
10 the deep draught battieships which
it is not now.
Last year the navy department focnd
it impossible to spNd all OF the money
that congress had appropriated for
the building and operation Of ma
chinery plant in the Bremcrtun navy
yard. That was because the materials
could not readily be had, but a more
serious difficulty was lack Of trained
mechanics and skilled labor. AS Il
is the only dock on the Pacific coast
now ready TO handle big batueship.
some special inducemen. must be held
out by the department TO get trained
navy yard workers TO make their
homes in Bremerton and II is believed
that steps have already been taken IN
this direction.
Altogether. notwithstanding the to-
tai absence OF any appearance Of furry
or anxiety among the few officials EhO
remain in Washington, II Is patent that
much useful work is being done in
quiet way to put not only the navy
but the army coast defenses in as gooi
condition as the appropriations made
by congress will permit
Manila. July 6.-The reported naval
activity is causing much excitement
in the Philippines. Leading Filipino
independence organs have announced
that they side with the Americans
against the japanese. All the Japa-
nese laborers employed in the navy
yard at olaneapo have been discharged