The railroad has been satisfactorily completed.

A marine barracks has been completed and is occupied.

Contracts have been awarded for the following buildings: One storehouse, 180 by 50 feet; 1 shell house, 180 by 50 feet; 1 fixed ammunition house, 180 by 50 feet; 3 magazines, each 90 by 50 feet; 1 power house, 150 by 50 feet; quarters for the officer in charge.

Work in connection with the quay wall and basin, the channel, the water supply, the light and power is under way, and promises to be completed when required.

Several of the old houses purchased with the site have been selected for use, one for a gunner, three magazine attendants, and the remainder for employees.

The magazine is about ready for use, and the bureau expects to abandon the naval magazine at Chelsea, Mass., some time during the coming fall, and to transfer all the stores, material, etc., now at that magazine to the new one at Hingham.

Respectfully,

N. E. MASON, Chief of Bureau of Ordnance.

The honorable the SECRETARY OF THE NAVY.

REPORT OF THE CHIEF OF THE BUREAU OF
CONSTRUCTION AND REPAIR.

NAVY DEPARTMENT,

BUREAU OF CONSTRUCTION AND REPAIR,

Washington, D. C., September 30, 1910.

SIR: 1. In accordance with the department's instructions, contained in its letter 27438 of May 1, 1910, I have the honor to submit the report of the bureau for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1910, and estimates for appropriations required for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1912.

2. The estimates marked "A" are for the salaries of the clerical employees of the bureau and are identical with the actual appropriations made by Congress for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1911, except the estimate providing for the salary of the chief clerk, namely, $2,500, which is an increase of $500 over the present pay of that employee.

3. The estimates marked "B" are for the construction and repair of vessels at navy-yards and on foreign stations; the purchase of stores, materials, machinery, and tools of all kinds; the construction and repair of yard craft; the pay of the clerical, drafting, inspection, and messenger service in navy-yards, naval stations, and offices of superintending naval constructors; and the performance of all work for the navy in the line of construction and repair. These estimates are identical with the actual appropriation made by Congress for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1911. In connection with these estimates the bureau submitted, in accordance with the department's instructions, revised estimates showing a total of $10,180,644, these estimates to be used in the event of the abolishment of the Bureau of Equipment. It should be noted that these estimates, as revised, show an increase of $1,201,500 over the Bureau of Construction and Repair's current appropriations, and this amount was fixed by the

department to cover the additional items transferred to this bureau's regular appropriation, which items had previously come under the cognizance of the Bureau of Equipment under appropriation "Equipment of vessels." The bureau's letter 945-A/191 of August 9, 1910, invited the department's attention to the fact that the allotments made in departmental order No. 70 for work under this bureau were not based, so far as the bureau was aware, on actual cost of work allotted to the various bureaus or upon the actual clerical and drafting work involved in the items transferred to such bureaus. From the reports of expenditures and the statement furnished by the Bureau of Supplies and Accounts showing the available balance and expenditures and obligations to September 1, 1910, chargeable to that portion of appropriation "Equipment of vessels, 1911," allotted to this bureau, it would appear that even by exercising the strictest economy in the use of said funds, the amount assigned to this bureau will barely be sufficient to meet expenditures for these items for the balance of the present fiscal year.

4. The estimates marked "C" are for the improvement of the shipbuilding and repair plants at the several navy-yards and naval stations, it having been found desirable in previous years to include estimates for appropriations of this character which may be specifically devoted to the improvement of the plants. Such a provision is necessary in order that such work may not depend entirely upon allotments from the general appropriations, since casualties in the fleet, which could not be foreseen or estimated for, may make it impossible to utilize any considerable portion of the general appropriation for plant improvements. This estimate is less than that for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1911, to the extent of $15,000, which is caused by not repeating the estimate of $15,000 for the improvement of the plant at the navy-yard, Puget Sound, Wash., in view of the balance available for plant improvement at that yard.. 5. The estimates marked "D" cover the amounts required by the bureaus of Construction and Repair and Steam Engineering under the appropriation "Increase of the navy;" construction and machinery (including submarine torpedo boats and colliers) for work on new vessels already authorized by Congress. These estimates are less than the amount actually appropriated by Congress for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1911, to the extent of $15,521,105.33. These estimates for "Increase of the navy, construction, and machinery (including submarine torpedo boats and colliers) for the fiscal year 1912," as has been the case for similar estimates in previous years, do not include any provision for such new vessels as may hereafter be authorized by Congress. For the further information of the department on the subject of appropriations under "Increase of the navy," there is given below a statement of the amounts actually appropriated for "Increase of the navy, construction, and machinery (including submarine torpedo boats and colliers)" for each of the preceding six years and the estimates for the fiscal year 1912, for continuing work on vessels already authorized:

6. Estimates submitted by the bureau for the fiscal year 1911-12:

Statement of persons employed as draftsmen and for other technical purposes, and the compensation paid to each as required by the legislative, executive, and judicial act of June

17, 1910:

For preservation and completion of vessels on the stocks and in ordinary; purchase of materials and stores of all kinds; steam steerers, pneumatic steerers, steam capstans, steam windlasses, and all other auxiliaries; labor in navy-yards and on foreign stations; purchase of machinery and tools for use in shops; carrying on work of experimental model tank; designing naval vessels; construction and repair of yard craft, lighters, and barges; wear, tear, and repair of vessels afloat; general care, increase, and protection of the navy in the line of construction and repair; incidental expenses for vessels and navy-yards, inspectors' offices, such as photographing, books, professional magazines, plans, stationery, and instruments for drafting room, and for pay of classified force under the bureau, eight million nine hundred and seventy-nine thou

Estimated amount which will be required or each detailed object of expenditure.

Total amount

to be appropriated under each head of

appropriation.

Amount appropriated for the current fiscal year ending June 30, 1911.

ESTIMATE B.-Construction and repair of vessels—Continued.

Detailed objects of expenditure and explanations.

sand one hundred and forty-four dollars: Provided, That no part of this sum shall be applied to the repair of any wooden ship when the estimated cost of such repairs, to be appraised by a competent board of naval officers, shall exceed ten per centum of the estimated cost, appraised in like manner, of a new ship of the same size and like material: Provided further, That no part of this sum shall be applied to the repair of any other ship when the estimated cost of such repairs, to be appraised by a competent board of naval officers, shall exceed twenty per centum of the estimated cost, appraised in like manner, of a new ship of the same size and like material: Provided further, That nothing herein contained shall deprive the Secretary of the Navy of the authority to order repairs of ships damaged in foreign waters or on the high seas, so far as may be necessary to bring them home: Provided further, That the sum to be paid out of this appropriation, under the direction of the Secretary of the Navy, for clerical, drafting, inspection, and messenger service in navy-yards, naval stations, and offices of superintending naval constructors, for the fiscal year ending June thirtieth, nineteen hundred and twelve, shall not exceed eight hundred and eight thousand and thirty-nine dollars.....

NOTE.-In the event of the abolishment of the Bureau of Equipment the above estimates under appropriation "Construction and repair of vessels, 1912" should be increased to a total of $10,180,644, and the following substituted for the above text, to provide for the items formerly under "Equipment," but now assigned by the department to the Bureau of Construction and Repair.

For the preservation and completion of vessels on the stocks and in ordinary; purchase of materials and stores of all kinds; steam steerers, pneumatic steerers, steam capstans, steam windlasses, and all other suxiliaries; labor in navy-yards and on foreign stations; purchase of machinery and tools for use in shops, carrying on work of experimental model tank; designing naval vessels; construction and repair of yard craft, lighters, and barges; wear, tear, and repair of vessels afloat; general care, increase, and protection of the navy in the line of construction and repair; incidental expenses for vessels and navy-yards, inspectors' offices, such as photographing, books, professional magazines, plans, stationery, and instruments for drafting room, and for pay of classified force under the bureau; for hemp, wire, iron, and other materials for the manufacture of cordage, anchors, cables, galleys, and chains; specifications for purchase thereof shall be so prepared as shall give fair and free competition; canvas for the manufacture of sails, awnings, hammocks, and other work; interior appliances and tools for manufacturing purposes in navyyards and naval stations; and for the purchase of all other articles of equipage at home and abroad, and for the payment of labor in equipping vessels therewith and manufacture of such articles in the several navyyards; naval signals and apparatus, other than electric, amely, signals, lights, lanterns, rockets, running lights, lanterns and lamps and their appendages for general use on board ship for illuminating purposes, and oil and candles used in connection therewith; bunting and other materials for making and repairing flags of all kinds; for all permanent galley fittings and equipage; supplying, installing, maintaining, and repairing all conduit and molding and other means for carrying electric wiring; rugs, carpets, curtains, and hangings on board naval vessels, ten million one hundred and eighty thousand six hundred and fortyfour dollars: Provided, That no part of this sum shall be applied to the repair of any wooden ship when the estimated cost of such repairs, to be appraised by a competent board of naval officers, shall exceed ten per centum of the estimated cost, appraised in like manner, of a new ship of the same size and like material: Provided further, That no part of this sum shall be

ESTIMATE B.-Construction and repair of vessels--Continued.

Detailed objects of expenditure and explanations.

applied to the repair of any other ship when the estimated cost of such repairs, to be appraised by a competent board of naval officers, shall exceed twenty per centum of the estimated cost, appraised in like manner, of a new ship of the same size and like material: Provided further, That nothing herein contained shall deprive the Secretary of the Navy of the authority to order repairs of ships damaged in foreign waters or on high seas, so far as may be necessary to bring them home: Provided further, That the sum to be paid out of this appropriation, under the direction of the Secretary of the Navy, for clerical, drafting, inspection, and messenger service in navy-yards, naval stations, and offices of superintending naval constructors, for the fiscal year ending June thirtieth, nineteen hundred and twelve, shall not exceed eight hundred and sixty-seven thousand and thirty-nine dollars; in all, construction and repair of vessels, 1912..

ESTIMATE D.-Increase of the navy: Construction and machinery; Increase of the navy: Torpedo boats; and Increase of the navy: Colliers.

NOTE.-The above does not include any money for new ships which may be authorized for 1912 at the next session of Congress.

The estimate of $531,000 is submitted in accordance with the instructions contained in the department's letter of August 5, 1910, 26466-9, directing that the estimates for the next session of Congress include a sum sufficient to complete the collier as stipulated in the naval appropriation act of June 24, 1910.

In order to construct a "collier *** on the Pacific coast in such government yard as the Secretary of the Navy shall direct," it will be necessary for Congress to increase the limit of cost on this collier from $1,000,000, as provided in the act of June 24, 1910, to $1,500,000, and to appropriate the sum of $531,000, as estimated above.