ARMY—RIVERS, AND HARBORS.
Chicago, Ill.
A friend asserts that the cost of the United States army is nearly fifty million dollars a year? I say it is not much more than half that amount. What does Our Curiosity Shop say?
John Allen.
Answer.—It says that you are nearer right than your friend. It is likely that he gets his notion from noting the total expenditures for the “military establishment” as given in Secretary Folger’s report a few days ago, amounting to $48,911,382.93. Let him look at the items and he will see such ones as this, “Improving rivers and harbors,” $13,639,381.27 included under the above head. Owing to the important bearing of the transportation question and the condition of our harbors upon the subject of National defense; in deference to the State rights advocates of early times; and also because of the prevailing confidence in the ability of the engineer corps of the United States army, the appropriations made by Congress for the improvement of the National water-ways have, as a rule, been expended under the direction of army engineers. Below are given all the items that enter into the grand total of nearly fifty millions which your friend erroneously charges up as the annual cost of the United States army. This is a statement for the fiscal year closing June 30, 1883:
| Pay Department | $12,659,814.60 |
| Commissary Department | 2,062,922.17 |
| Quartermaster’s Department | 13,179,792.45 |
| Medical Department | 377,647.82 |
| Ordnance Department | 1,861,826.37 |
| Military Academy | 144,332.46 |
| Improving rivers and harbors | 13,639,381.27 |
| Contingencies | 26,676.19 |
| Expenses of recruiting | 100,646.45 |
| Signal Service | 294,466.54 |
| Expenses of military convicts | 93,085.37 |
| Publishing official records of the rebellion | 33,486.68 |
| Support of National Home for Disabled Volunteers | 1,122,088.03 |
| Support of Soldiers’ Home | 162,928.48 |
| Construction of military posts, roads, etc. | 268,707.69 |
| Fortifications | 174,312.72 |
| National cemeteries | 211,156.55 |
| Fifty per cent arrears of army transportation | 296,379.38 |
| Construction of military telegraphs | 48,989.00 |
| Bounty to soldiers, act of July 28, 1866 | 75,214.30 |
| Expenses of arctic exploring expedition | 53,000.00 |
| Bounty to volunteers | 244,550.91 |
| Mississippi River Commission | 165,000.00 |
| Reimbursing the State of Missouri | 234,580.10 |
| Reimbursing the State of Oregon. | 70,268.08 |
| Claims for quartermasters’ and commissary supplies | 311,062.75 |
| Refunding to States expenses in raising volunteers | 454,163.07 |
| Operating and care of canals | 199,200.00 |
| Horses and other property lost in the service | 105,061.60 |
| Purchase of the Arlington estate | 125,000.00 |
| Miscellaneous | 115,641.90 |
| Total military establishment | $48,911,382.93 |
The first five of the above items, aggregating a little over thirty million dollars, constitute almost the entire expenditure on account of the existing army and its operations during the year named.
ESTIMATING WEIGHT OF CATTLE.