Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-03-02
Proposed Appropriations to Be
Subject of Hard Fight by
'SmaII Navy" Men.
CONGRESS GETS NOTICE
IN A MINORITY REPORT
Representatives Hensley, Wither-
spoon, Buchanan and Gray Also
Attack Management.

y serious light on navy yard items
and the proposed appropriation affect
ing the Indian Head, Md. naval powder
manufacturing plant, together with a
general attempt 10 reduce the naval
appropriation by millions of dollars.
will be started by Representatives
Hensley, Witherspoon, Buchanan and
Gray. the small navy men of the
House naval affairs committee, and
notice of this has been given to Con-
Sress in minority naval affairs re-
port. distributed today to members of
the House.
Many pages OF the report are given to
backing up the charges of Representa-
tive Witherspoon and others that the
Navy Department had "juggled figures"
IN order to make the navy appear to
he in need of tremendous increases,
and severe adverse comment is made
in the report on the way the naval es-
adjustment is managed
In relation to the maintenance of the
navy the report, in declaring the pres
ent system to he extravaCant and
wastetul by millions of dollars. makes
several recommendations:
Would Cut Out Million.
First We recommend that the item
of $685. toward extension of powder
factory at Indian Head should be stricken
from the bill. This extension will cost
ssoo.Oo0 and is unnecessary, because we
can already manu- acture 900 900 pounds
more than we need.
Second. We recommend that the item
OF S4Jo.t ~ ex en- ing os
for crane at Norfolk should be stricken
out, and the law authorizing the crane
be repealed, because we have more cranes
now than we need
Third We recommend that the item
authorizing an annual bonus of $50 600 to
the constructors of a dry dock at Hunt
ers Point be stricken out, because we
have more dry docks now than we need
can use.
Fourth. There are doubtless many
other extravagant items in the bill. but
We have no facts in the hearing on
which to base 4 criticism. but we are
certain that whether other items are
travaa ant or economical We have album
dant evidence that our system of naval
administration is essentially eXtravagant
and wasteful. This is apparent in two
respects:
Useless Number of Navy Yards.
First We have useless number of
navy yards. necessitating a foolish dupli-
cation Of buildings, overhead charges,
power plants. machinery, dry docks.
cranes and of everything needful at each
navy yard. If all our work were done
at two navy yards, and the other yards
and stations sold and abandoned. It would
reduce the amount of our naval expendi-
lures enormously
Second. We place at the head Of our
navy yards naval officers who have had
no experience as managers of industrial
plants, and hence are unable to conduct
them in an economical way; We should
have men of great experience at the head
OF every plant which constructs or repairs
our ships and guns and makes our pow
der.
These two defects in our system is the
explanation of the fact that we are spend
ing SO many million dollars more than
other nations for the maintenance of the
navy"
Position of Democratic Party.
The minority report says that the
democratic party will be in a position
of the grossest inconsistency if it votes
TO increase the present navy. and says:
The Secretary of the Navy tells your
cimmittee that We already have a power
full navy, and he agrees with President
Taft. who said at the close of his presi-
Dental term that our navy is magnif-
cent. IL the navy is magnificent 1t will
be hard to prove to the people why we
should spend $3OOOO,OOO in one year to
increase it
Another reason given for not increasing
The floating fortresses of the navy is that
the country is from 100 to 1000 officers
short:
AT the hearings of your committee"
says the minority report, Admiral
Nreeland. the rep representative of the gem
erai board, told the committee that we
are now short of officers. and in the
face of the fact that within the next two
years there will be six more battleships
and hfty-one more ships of other kinds
10 supply with officers It seems to US
that the determination to build more
battleships must be traced either to ig-
norance of the facts or u desire to waste
the public funds