Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1908-04-21
ABANDON NAVY YARDS
is L|LLEY'S Demand
REPRESENTATIVE INTRODUCES
RESOLUTION WITH THAT
END IN VIEW.
WOULD REORGANIZE
ENTIRE DEPARTMENT
House Member Quotes from Report.
to Show Waste of Public Moneys
He Seeks a Commission for Pur
pose of Probing the Matter.

" StoW waste OF PUBIC Moneys
He Seeks a Commission for Pur
pose of Probing the Matter.
washington, Apr. 1.-THE investi
cation of the navy yards at Charleston
Port Royal, Mare Island, Portsmouth
N. H., New Orleans and Key West. by
commission appointed by the presi
dent with view to their abandon.
ment. was urged by Mr.. Lilley, of Con
necticut, before the house Saturday.
Mr.. Lilley offered joint resolution
providing for Improvements in other
yards so as to eliminate the waste
of public moneys in the maintenance
of the same"
MT. Lilley quoted from reports made
by boards of officers and former secre.
tarles OF the navy, as far back as 1885,
to show that the condition of the navy
yards then was open to severe crit.
cism, and in fact, that the reorganiza,
ton of the navy department itself was
desirable, if not absolutely necessary.
Discusses Yards Separately.
The navy yards mentioned in his
resolution We're taken up separately
and discussed by Mr.. Lilley. The
Mare Island yard, he said, has cost
the people $17000,O0O. 1t has mag
nificent stone dry dock which cost
$l,175,O00, "but the secretary of the
navy states that this drydock will not
permit the docking of a battleship."
And not only is this true, but battle
ship cannot get to the yard. Although
Rear-Admiral Endicott, then chief of
the bureau of yards and docks, ten
years ago practically recommended
the abandonment of this yard, since
that time $72S.s66 have been spent in
dredging alone, and $5,124,712 have
been appropriated and spent on the
yard.
Key West is place." said Mr.. Lii
ley, that has cost us s1,23S,O3S. 1t
is six miles from the straits and the
low water depth in it's channel is 20
feet, and 100000 has been spent
there for dredging. At this yard in
the fiscal year ending in 1907, 1914, 31S
was expended for labor, and the value
IL D,
Points Out Channel Defects.
portsmouth, N. H., or Kit
terry, Me-. is plant that has cost
us over s10,00O,OO0." Continuing, Mr..
Lilley said that last summer when he
visited the Portsmouth, N. H.. navy
yard with the other members of the
house committee on naval affairs
aboard the Dolphin, the captain of the
vessel told him it was not safe to
take even so small craft as the Dol
phin up to the yard, because of the
dangers of the swift current and mar
row channel The expensive dock has
never locked first-class battleship.
he added, and yet s244,9OO more was
appropriated for this place the last
session of congress.
Concerning the navy yard at New
Orleans, Mr.. Lilley said that in 1907.
$7S,274 was spent by the government
tor labor and the total product was
Sl,O46. But the point that a bust
ness man would fail to comprehend. ;"
ne continued, is that $4,000 was APP
propriated both sessions Of the last
congress for new construction at New
orleans for what advantage to the
United States navy God only knows"
Asks an Investigation.
Mr.. Lilley's resolution reads as fol-
lows:
Whereas, There has been gross ex-
travagance and lamentable misappro-
priation of public funds to the extent
of more than s10O,oO0,OOO in expendi-
lures in our navy yards and naval
stations in excess of what business
men would have expended to produce
the same results; and
Whereas, Great economies may be
effected by the federal government by
the abandonment and sale of certain
navy yards and naval stations, and the
reorganization of the others. There
fore, be 1T
Resolved, By the senate and house
of representatives of the United States
OF America in congress assembled,
That the president shall appoint
Immediately after the passage of this
act, commission consisting of three
members, two of whom shall be men
of reputed ability in the management
OF large industrial affairs, and a re-
tired naval officer, who has served as
chief of bureau, whose duty it shall
be to report to the president and CON
gress upon the advisability of the
abandonment and sale of the navy
yards and naval stations at Kittery
Me-, Port Royal, and Charleston, South
Carolina; Key West, Fla, New Or
leans, La, and Mare Island, CAL. and
to make such recommendations as
they see fit for improving the organi-
cation and efficiency of navy yards and
naval stations, and eliminating the
waste of public moneys in the main
tenance of the same"
Shoots Bride; Kills Himself.
New York, Apr. 1O.-Without warm
Ing and apparent motive, Albert
Heiser, a baker, drew revolver at
the dinner table Wednesday night,
fred two shots at his young bride and
then killed himself by sending bull
let through his brain, at their home
i on Lexington avenue. Mrs Heiser.