Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-04-11
NAVY YARD EXPENDITURES
ALLEGED WASTE OF CONGRESS
SIGNAL APPROPRIATIONS.
Representative Lilley Urges the APP
pointment Of a Commission to
Investigate the Subject.

The investigation of the navy yards at
Charleston, Port Royal Mare Island.
Portsmouth. n. H.; New Orleans and Key
West, by a commission of three MEM
bers appointed by the President, with
view to their abandonment. was urged
by Representative Lilley of Connecticut
before the House today. Mr. Lilley
offered a joint resolution providing for
the appointment of this commission 10
recommend improvements In other yards
SO as to eliminate the waste OF puoifc
moneys in the maintenance OF the same.
The commissioners are to be paid $3,uVO
ca oh.
Mr. Lilley quoted from reports MADE py
boards of officers and former Secretaries
of the Navy as far back as 1880. to SHOW
that the condition of the navy yards then
was open to severe criticism and IN fac'
that the reorganization Of the Navy De-
partment itself was desirable. If not ao'
solutely necessary.
The navy yards mentioned in his reso'
luton were taken up separately ana ols.
cussed by Mr.. Lilley. The Mare lslalio
yard, he said. has cost the people *li.oOc
600. 1t has IA magnificent stone drydock'
which cost $1,175.VO0. but the secretary
of the Navy states that this drydock VIII
not permit the docking Of a oattlesnlp:
And not only is this true. but oattie
ship cannot get to the yard Although
Rear Admiral Endicott, then chle1 OF
the bureau Of yards and docks. ten years
ago practically recommended the apah-
donment of this yard. since that tiine
SITS 500 has been spent in dredging alone;
and S., 124.712 has been appropriated ana
spent on the yard.
key West is place. said Mr.. Lilley,
that has cost us $1.23S,O3S. 1t is SIX
miles from the straits and the low water
depth in its channel is twenty-slx rect.
dredging. At this yard in the fiscal year
ending in 1907 $94,31S was expended for
labor, and the value of their total product
was but SIPS.
Portsmouth. N. H., or Kittery. Me-.
is a plant that has cost us over 10000
900" Continuing. Mr.. Lilley said that
last summer, when he visited Portsmouth.
n. H.. navy yard. with the other mem
bers of the House committee on naval az
fairs aboard the Dolphin. the captain OF
the vessel told him 1t was not safe to
take even so small craft as the Dolphin
up to the yard. because Of the dangers
of the swift current and narrow channel.
The expensive dock has never locked a
flrst-class battleship, he added. and yet
s244 800 more was appropriated for this
place the last session Of Congress"
Concerning the navy yard at New Or
leans. Mr.. Lilley said that in 1907 S7S,211
was spent by the government for labor
and the total product was s1,O46. But
the point that a business man would fail
to comprehend" he continued. lis that
$40 900 was appropriated at both sessions
Of the last Congress for new construction
at New Orleans, for what advantage to
the United States navy God only knows
Charleston. he said. has but twenty-five
feet of water in its channel Yet Con-
gress has appropriated 81. 1913, 9S4 to build
there a magnificent dry dock. Not only
is the channel too shallow. but there is
no berthing room for vessels and no ship
of any description has ever been locked
there. The total establishment has cost
81, 1914 800 and the dredging 100000. At
the last session Of Congress $2S7 900 more
was appropriated for this yard at Charles
ton.
THE naval station at Port Royal" con-
tinued Mr.. Lilley. was removed to
Charleston in 1NO1903, but as late as
1907 $14.124 was spent here for labor,
and. although abandoned. these expendi-
lures will go on to the end of time unless
the property is sold, given away or blown
up"
Mr.. Lilley criticised Congress for not
establishing a naval training station at
enty miles below Annapolis. thus saving
the s1O,Oo0, 600 that is going to the great
lakes. Annapolis. he said, for which
Congress has seen fit to appropriate sums
that will reach total Of 100000 900. is
sunk in the mud. "Battleships cannot
reach the academy. and the United States
coast and geodetic survey reports show
that the upper Chesapeake is fast filling
IN.