ing this, great difficulty was experienced in getting through the year without creating a further deficiency, and this was only accomplished by holding up a large amount in requisitions for the purchase of material, by cutting down other requisitions to the lowest possible limit, and by postponing necessary repairs wherever it was possible to do so and still keep the ships going, thus loading the current appropriation with expenditures which should have been made in the last fiscal year. (d) At the beginning of the present fiscal year the Bureau's appropriation was divided into monthly allotments, the navy-yards were limited to a reduced monthly expenditure for labor, and every effort was made to get through the year without a deficiency. The experience of the past four months has demonstrated, however, that it will not be possible to do so without delaying work that should be done. and throwing into the next year expenditures which do not properly belong there, thus overloading the appropriation for that year worse than is the appropriation for this year loaded with the legitimate expenditures of last year. It is a question of how far this practice can be carried without collapsing by its own weight. (e) Finally, it is generally recognized that the horsepower is a good measure of the amount and extent of the machinery of a ship, and therefore of the expense that must be incurred in its maintenance. An examination of the Navy Register will show that the horsepower of our ships has increased threefold from 1901 to 1905, and yet during that time the appropriation for machinery has increased only 1.5 times. In other words, the appropriation for this Bureau is relatively onehalf of what it was four years ago. Very respectfully, C. W. RAE, Engineer in Chief, U. S. Navy, Chief of Bureau. The SECRETARY OF THE NAVY. WASHINGTON, D. C., December 4, 1905. SIR: In accordance with the letter of the Department dated November 27, the Bureau has the honor to transit herewith an estimate for an urgent deficiency appropriation of $1,000,000, "Steam machinery, 1905-6," and requests that immediate action may be had thereon, in order that the Bureau may know what money it has in hand for expenditures for repairs and materials during the next seven months of the fiscal year. Copy of the Bureau's letter of November 20, stating the necessity for this appropriation, and of the Department's letter, dated November 27, authorizing same, is transmitted herewith with the estimate sheets, in duplicate. Very respectfully, C. W. RAE, Engineer in Chief, U. S. Navy, Chief of Bureau. The SECRETARY OF THE NAVY. 2 NAVY DEPARTMENT, BUREAU OF STEAM ENGINEERING, SIR: Your attention is respectfully invited to the provisions of sec tion 3679 of the Statutes at Large, prohibiting an expenditure of money by any Department of the Government in excess of the amount appropriated, and to a consideration of the fact that the appropriation for the Bureau of Steam Engineering for the current fiscal year is not enough to keep the machinery of our ships in that good condition which should be characteristic of all war ship machinery. Washington, D. C., November 20, 1905. It is therefore requested that you authorize the Bureau to change its monthly allotment of money for work under its cognizance to such an extent as will permit work to be carried on uninterruptedly and without delaying the ships at the yards, and that immediately upon assembling of Congress an emergency appropriation of $1,000,000 be asked for, to be made immediately available. the The necessity for this increase over the appropriation may be said to be general rather than specific, and may be best understood from a consideration of the following facts: (a) The Navy is growing every year, and with each ship completed comes a demand for greater expenditure for the maintenance of the fleet. With length of service and consequent deterioration, the repairs in a few years become more extensive and the expenditure for such work proportionately greater, until gradually it reaches such a figure that it is no longer good business policy to spend more money in patching the old machinery. It is then that it becomes necessary to renew, wholly or in part, the most important parts. Some of our ships have already reached that condition and others are fast approaching it. The Indiana is nearing the completion of a thorough refit and the Massachusetts and the Oregon are to be similarly treated. The New York is in the same category, and is being refitted at Boston, and some of the smaller vessels have already been given such thorough overhauling. But in future there will be comparatively few small ships to overhaul as it has of late been the practice of the Department to put small ships out of commission in order that larger ones might be kept in, and this has obviously been a source of increased expenditure, for the upkeep of the machinery of a ship of 20,000 horsepower is about five times that of a ship of 4,000 horsepower. (b) The horsepower of the ships commissioned during the year is 95,000 greater than that of the ships that were put out of commission, or nearly four times as much as the horsepower of those ships, while the horsepower of the ships now ready or preparing for their trial trips is 281,000. The magnitude of this figure will be better appreciated by stating that it represents machinery of greater power than that of the entire battle ship and armored cruiser fleet now in commission. Obviously there will be increased expenditure on account of this large addition to the fleet. (c) During the past five years the regular appropriation for this Bureau has increased from $2,560,000 for 1900-1901 to $3,405,000 for 1904-5, but for each of these years deficiency appropriations had to be asked. This deficiency reached $700,000 for the 1 made the total appropriation for that year $4,105 rear, and ing this, great difficulty was experienced in getting through the year without creating a further deficiency, and this was only accomplished by holding up a large amount in requisitions for the purchase of material, by cutting down other requisitions to the lowest possible limit, and by postponing necessary repairs wherever it was possible to do so and still keep the ships going, thus loading the current appropriation with expenditures which should have been made in the last fiscal year. (d) At the beginning of the present fiscal year the Bureau's appropriation was divided into monthly allotments, the navy-yards were limited to a reduced monthly expenditure for labor, and every effort was made to get through the year without a deficiency. The experience of the past four months has demonstrated, however, that it will not be possible to do so without delaying work that should be done and throwing into the next year expenditures which do not properly belong there, thus overloading the appropriation for that year worse than is the appropriation for this year loaded with the legitimate expenditures of last year. It is a question of how far this practice can be carried without collapsing by its own weight. (e) Finally, it is generally recognized that the horsepower is a good measure of the amount and extent of the machinery of a ship, and therefore of the expense that must be incurred in its maintenance. An examination of the Navy Register will show that the horsepower of our ships has increased threefold from 1901 to 1905, and yet during that time the appropriation for machinery has increased only 1.5 times. In other words, the appropriation for this Bureau is relatively onehalf of what it was four years ago. Very respectfully, C. W. RAE, Engineer in Chief, U. S. Navy, Chief of Bureau. The SECRETARY OF THE NAVY. WASHINGTON, D. C., December 4, 1905. SIR: In accordance with the letter of the Department dated November 27, the Bureau has the honor to transmit herewith an estimate for an urgent deficiency appropriation of $1,000,000, "Steam machinery, 1905-6," and requests that immediate action may be had thereon, in order that the Bureau may know what money it has in hand for expenditures for repairs and materials during the next seven months of the fiscal year. Copy of the Bureau's letter of November 20, stating the necessity for this appropriation, and of the Department's letter, dated November 27, authorizing same, is transmitted herewith with the estimate sheets, in duplicate. Very respectfully, C. W. RAE, Engineer in Chief, U. S. Navy, Chief of Bureau. The SECRETARY OF THE NAVY. NAVY DEPARTMENT, Washington, D. C., November 27, 1905. MEMORANDUM FOR THE BUREAU OF STEAM ENGINEERING. Referring to the Bureau's letter of the 20th instant, requesting, in view of the fact that the appropriation for the Bureau of Steam Engineering for the current fiscal year is not sufficient to keep the machinery of our ships in that good condition which should be characteristic of all warship machinery, and of the prohibition against expenditure of money by any Department of the Government in excess of the amount appropriated therefor, that the Bureau be authorized to change its monthly allotment of money for work under its cognizance to such an extent as will permit work to be carried on uninterruptedly and without delaying the ships at the yards, and that immediately upon the assembling of Congress an emergency appropriation of $1,000,000 be asked for work of the above-mentioned character under the Bureau of Steam Engineering, to be immediately available: The Bureau is hereby authorized to so arrange the monthly allotment of money under its appropriations to carry into effect the recommendation mentioned. The Department will take the necessary steps, as soon as Congress is convened, with a view to securing an emergency appropriation for the purpose stated. CHARLES J. BONAPARTE, Secretary. Estimates of appropriations required for the service of the fiscal year ending June 30, 1906, by the Bureau of Steam Engineering. NAVY DEPARTMENT. NAVAL ESTABLISHMENT. Steam machinery, Bureau of Steam Engineering For completion, repairing, and preservation of machinery and boilers of naval vessels, including cost of new boilers, distilling, refrigerating, and auxiliary machinery, preservation of and small repairs to machinery and boilers in vessels in ordinary, receiving and training vessels, repair and care of machinery of yard tugs and launches, and for purchase, handling, and preservation of all material and stores, purchase, fitting, repair, and preservation of machinery and tools in navy-yards and stations, and running yard engines, for the service of the fiscal year ending June 30, 1906 (act of Mar. 3, 1905, vol. 33, p. 1110, sec. 1).. Amount appropriated for the fiscal year for which the appropriation is required $1,000,000 3,905, 000 CHANGES IN ESTIMATES OF APPROPRIATION, POSTOFFICE DEPARTMENT. LETTER FROM THE ACTING SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY, TRANSMITTING A COPY OF A COMMUNICATION FROM THE POSTMASTER-GENERAL SUBMITTING CHANGES IN ESTIMATES OF APPROPRIATION. DECEMBER 7, 1905.-Referred to the Committee on the Post-Office and Post-Roads and ordered to be printed. TREASURY DEPARTMENT, SIR: I have the honor to transmit herewith copy of a communication from the Postmaster-General of the 29th ultimo, desiring to correct the amount reported by him as appropriated for the Post-Office Department for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1906, in the Book of Estimates for 1907, pages 77 and 78, and to change the note which precedes the estimates for contingent expenses to conform thereto. Respectfully, H. A. TAYLOR, The SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. OFFICE OF THE POSTMASTER-GENERAL, Washington, D. C., November 29, 1905. SIR: Under the current legislative act the clerks on the rural carrier examining board were transferred to the Civil Service Commission, but there was no corresponding decrease in the appropriation for the bureau of the Fourth Assistant Postmaster-General. This amounted to $17,240, and believing that it was not the intention of Congress to give these additional places to the Post-Office Department, I never filled the vacancies. |