Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-12-05

for the marine corps are estimated al
$4,000, an increase of $96i57 for this
year.
AS the first years appropriation fol
the new vessels which the secretary
recommends he names s6,09D,O00 as the
necessity figure for construction and
machinery, and $6750,42S for armor
and armament, which is $3.494, 1874 less
than the amount appropriated for the
new building program this year. Ir
addition the secretary recommends
SO. 453,bl9 FOR the continuation OF work
on vessels now under construction
which is s6.9S2,l05 less than the
amount appropriated for a similar pur-
pose this year.
The total amount which will be sub
mitted to Congress for the navy de-
partment under the naval, Legislative
and sundry civil bills for next year
will be l27.o67.329. as compared with
$l32,37S,9S0 for this year or u decrease
in exact figures Of $5,311,G51.
Washington, Dee. THE results of
a careful, personal investigation BY
Secretary George Won l.. Meyer OF
many of the navy yards and naval
stations are apparent in certain
sweeping recommendation for the
abolition of some of these and the de-
velopment of others. as set out in the
secretarys annual report just made
public.
Secretary Meyer recommends giving
up ana diSposing of the naval stations
at New Orleans, Pensacola, San Juan
Port Royal, New London. Sacketts
Harbor Culebra and Cavite. He
finds that the average yearly cost OF
maintaining these stations for the past
five years has been $1,672.675. while
very little useful work has been per-
formed therein.
In making these recommendations
the secretary says he is following di-
rectly along the progressive plans
which have been adopted in our great
commercial and manufacturing con-
solicitations in this country, that is. Of
dismantling unnecessary and anti
quated plants and disseminating their
existence where it has been demon
strated that it is Improbable to con-
tinue them at Il cost not c0mlncnSur-
ate with their product.
The secretary discusses the strong
points ana shortcomings Of the various
yards at length and incidentally he
points out that the United States has
twice as many navy yards as Great
britain with Il navy ut least double
the size of ours. Touching the New
Orleans yard, il is said that its posi-
ton 100 miles up the Mississippi river
is such that in time of war no large
vessels should be sent there on ac-
count OF the danger OF the passes being
blocked. The Pensacola navy yard is
condemned as impossible for fortifica-
ton and as stritegically unnecessary.
The Secretary thinks that the Gulf
and South Atlantic coasts can best be
defended by an effective naval station
at Guantanamo, Cuba, where the
emergency docking and repair facili-
ties should be provided at an expense
of about 100000 or 100000. This
would involve the transfer to Guanta
and machine tools from the Algiers
yard and from Pensacola. Key West
alone Of the Gulf naval stations
should be maintained: not as a first
class station but for the supply and
quick repair of small gUnboats and
torpedo craft operating in the Carrib-
bean Sea. The Secretary predicts
that in time of war the cities of the
gulf coast will be. from their natural