Los Angeles herald., 1907-08-11

TN a catalogue of things expensive the
modern battleship stands out pre-
Il eminent over everything else 1t ls'
in comparison with other expensive
things, as the sun to a penny marble
Yachts, automobiles, private theaters
equipped with the material and personnel
to make them worth while, are all but
puny consumers of money in comparison,
either to cost of installation or main
tenance.
They say a yacht such as sovereign OF
financedom might deem fit for his own
use sends ten-dollar bills through her
tunnels. If that is what she does battle
ship throws such small change as ten
dollar bills into the ashes. Bills of larger
denomination only are fit to be belched
through her subwaylike stacks.
The new earnings of the Standard Oil
combination and the steel trust breath
stealing as they are in their immensely,
would not more than take care OF the
modest American avy. 1t is modest be-
cause in the number of armor-clads actu-
ally built it is inferior to the marine
outfits of Great Britain, France and Ger
".
outnumber the kaiser's fleet. In efficiency
it is supposed to be second In expense
of maintenance il is second, Great Brit
aims maritime defense account being the
only one larger than ours.
The table shows the cost of maintenance
of the ships of the navy classitied ac-
cording to type. The figures are based
upon the prices of supplies, and pay OF
the personnel of the navy two years ago
raftn X
penditures of the various ships was kept.
since that time the price of nearly every
thing has gone up anywhere from 10 to
80 per cent.
No account is kept as to the cost Of
feeding the officers because each officer
commutes his ration and pays his own
mess bill. The average mess bill is about
$50 month for an officer, which shows
why it is so hard for the average officer
who has family to keep up his end. The
| standard of living is fixed by the unen-
| numbered and those who have private
| means.
Cost of Pacific Cruise
If the much discussed cruise of the At
lantic battleship fleet to the Pacific takes
place, beholders will see an aggregation
| of warships, the maintenance OF which
each year takes SIT SIG out of the
treasure chest of the nation. These fight
| ing SHIPS Will Do dCSOlipoiiASN W ob@NhA
iaries which cost at least in the aggre-
gate Sc, 900 900 a year. If the cruise lasts
| for eight months, which 1t will, and If
| the fleet engages in maneuvers worthy
| of the name the beholders of the spec
| tacle will have witnessed the disburse-
ment of between $14, ,00O,0 900 and $15000,000
In contemplating Hartman financing,
| SIS 600, 900, of course, is not great sum.
| II is but a little more than one-tenth of
the Capitalization of the Steel Trust and
nearly one-sixth that of the Standard
oil company of New Jersey, the mother
of the Standard combination of trusts.
And vet 1t would build another such
graft palace as that at Harrisburg, with
a margin over. 1t would replace the ma
tional capitol, leaving balance large
| enough to build the two office buildings
which the senators and representatives
are providing for themselves.
Most important of all, from the sup
posed Roosevelt point of view, it would
nav for two American Dreadnaughts, II
| the builders should take a notion to sub
nit as low tenders as they made for the
hulls and machinery of those provided
for by the last congress. Those ships
instead of costing about $10,000000 each
will probably not cost much, if any, more
than $7,5O0.000.
The lighting ships to be assembled
named in the order of their displace.
ments, are the following; Battleships oi
the largest size: Connecticut, Louisiana