mountain, field, and siege cannon, including their carriages, sights, implements, and equipments; ammunition for seacoast cannon; ammunition for mountain, field, and siege cannon; ammunition, subcaliber guns, and other accessories for seacoast artillery practice; ammunition, subcaliber guns, and other accessories for mountain, field, and siege artillery practice; alteration and maintenance of seacoast artillery; alteration and maintenance of mobile artillery; current expenses of the ordnance proving ground, Sandy Hook, N. J., necessary expenses of officers at the proving ground, and compensation of draftsmen. In addition he has charge of the accounts, although not of the disbursements, pertaining to submarine mines, and the Board of Ordnance and Fortification, and expends the funds allotted him by the Secretary of War for fire-control instruments. The Chief Signal Officer has charge of the operation and maintenance of fire-control installation at seacoast defenses and the expenditure of such funds as may be allotted him by the Secretary of War for the procurement of wiring and instruments for communication service from the appropriations for fire control. The Chief of Engineers has charge of the construction, maintenance, repair, and modernization of emplacements for seacoast armament; installation and replacement of electric light and power plants and searchlights at seacoast fortifications; procurement or reclamation of land for sites for fortifications; preparation of plans for fortifications; tools, electrical, and engine supplies for operating electric light and power plants in seacoast batteries, and reserve lights therefor; construction, maintenance, and repair of sea walls and embankments; construction, preservation, and repair of structures for torpedo defense; land defenses of seacoast fortifications, exclusive of electrical communications and armament; and the expenditure of such funds as may be allotted him by the Secretary of War from firecontrol appropriations for construction of fire-control stations and accessories and purchase of lands and rights of way. The estimate for fire-control stations and accessories, electrical communications, and range finders, and other instruments for fire control at the fortifications is submitted by the Chief of Coast Artillery, and the appropriation when made is carried on the books of the disbursing officer of the War Department, expenditures being made by the Chief of Ordnance, the Chief Signal Officer, and the Chief of Engineers in accordance with allotments made them by the Secretary of War for particular purposes. The estimate for submarine mines is prepared by the Chief of Coast Artillery and disbursed under his supervision; the accounts are kept by the Chief of Ordnance. LIMITATIONS. The following provisions with respect to expenditures are recommended as follows: On page 13: SEC. 2. That all material purchased under the provisions of this act shall be of American manufacture, except in cases when, in the judgment of the Secretary of War, it is to the manifest interest of the United States to make purchases in limited quantities abroad, which material shall be admitted free of duty. On page 14: SEC. 3. That appropriations in this act shall not be expended for powder other than small-arms powder at a price in excess of 53 cents a pound. On page 14: SEC. 4. That except as expressly otherwise authorized herein no part of the sums appropriated by this Act shall be expended in the purchase from private manufacturers of any material at a price in excess of twenty-five per centum more than the cost of manufacturing such material by the Government, or, where such material is not or has not been manufactured by the Government, at a price in excess of twenty-five per centum more than the estimated cost of manufacture by the Government. On page 14: SEC. 5. That expenditures for carrying out the provisions of this Act shall not be made in such manner as to prevent the operation of the Government arsenals at their most economical rate of production, except when a special exigency requires the operation of a portion of an arsenal's equipment at a different rate. COMPARATIVE STATEMENT. The following shows, by items, the appropriations made in the last fortification act, the amounts submitted at this session in the estimates, and the amounts recommended in the accompanying bill. HR-64-1-vol 2—18 Appropriations for 1916. Estimates for 1917. Recommended for 1917. FORTIFICATIONS APPROPRIATION BILL, 1917. Comparative statement showing the amounts appropriated for 1916, the estimates for 1917, and the amount recommended in the accompanying bill for 1917. Fire-control stations and accessories, construction of.. Electric light and power equipment and searchlights, maintenance, repair, tools, etc.. Submarine mines, operation, preservation, and care of, including mining casemates, cable galleries, etc. Subcaliber guns, mountain, field, and siege artillery, ammunition for.......... 3.2-inch batteries, alteration, sights, etc. 300, 000. 00 2 1,764,500.00 6 • 1, 284, 500.00 200,000.00 23, 000, 000.00 425,000.00 490,000.00 * 3, 000, 000.00 490, 000. 00 50,000.00 105, 000. 00 100, 000. 00 400,000.00 195,000.00 11, 391, 000. 00 In addition authority was granted to enter into contracts or incur obligations not to exceed $300,000. |