Mr. ARSTON. I desire to say only a word further in answer to the Gentfrom NewYork [Mr. DAVlS and the Gentfrom Indiana [Mr. HILL in relation to the value of this island and the houses thereon, and what it would probably sell for for other purposes. My beliefp is that it could not be pure used for anything near $100,000 by outside arties. But the only way of getting on and ofip that island, except by boat, is by passing throu hthe yard and the Government won nu? d never e able to get the title to this property for $106,000 except upon the idea that if it is not sold to the Government, and the dept should take away the bridge over which all now have to pass to get on the island the property would not be worth so much to the owners as it now is., Mr. PIKE. I should not add anything to what the Gentfrom NewHampshire [Mr. Mausroxfi has so well said upon this point but for one consideration. It becomes a material question now with us, what will we do with the Navy? Shall we establish it upon a permanent footing, and take meansto make us in fact what we claim to be, a 1stclass naval Power; or shall we fall back and resume our old position, the position which we held before the war? The ComAppropriat have recommended large increase of appropriations for 3 or 4 navyyards in this country. They recommend an appropriationof something more than $500,000 for the Charlestown navyyard, $1,500,000 for NewYork, and nearly $500,000 for Norfolk. That is one way for increasing our capacity for continuing and perpetuating our Navy. Another proposition whichis urged upon this House with considerable force is to establish a new navyyarda proposition which was voted upon at the last Congress. I do not say where the navyyard is to be, but at some properplace, no doubt. Now, the House is to determine, and it may as well be done upon this appropriation as any other, whether they will increase the capacity of our navyyards in the 1st place; and in the next place, how they will do it. the proposed increase is not lar e, and the objection taken to it by the Gentfrom Illinois [Mr. Wasununxng is not well taken that is, that we have may e a large navy for the purpose of carrying us through the war without the aid of increased navyyards, and now in time of peace we cannot need any such increase. But he forgets that during the war we levied upon every private shipyard of the country of capa city enough to build a 500ton vessel. He forgets that everywhere, from Maine to the Potomac, the private shipyards, the private founderies, the private machine shops were worked to their utmost capacity and we have large claims presented to Congress now for additional pay, because men who entered into contracts were unable to fulfill their contracts because the Government had anticipated them, and had taken to itself all the supplies of mech anism and of labor in the country and in addition to that every navyyard in the country was largely overworked. anyone at all familiar with the subject knows that atPortsmouth, at Charlestown, at Brook lyn, and at Philadelphia the work required of the navyyards was largely in excess of the capacity of those yards, and the work actually turned out there was turned out at great disadvantage, because of want of room and want of proper facilities at those yards. Now, sir, my ideais not that we shall attempt to rival the rent nayards of Europe. There is no need o that. ny one familiarwith those yards knows that it would require the expend iture of 50 or 100 million dollars to bring our navyyards u to their standardI mean of the leading maritime Powers. But we should have such moderate increase of our various yards as will enable us to do the properwork pertaining to them, the work necessary to keep in proper condition 100 naval ves. I sels, and to repair or lay up the vessels not in active service. Having done this, we shall be prepared, as the Gentfrom Ohio. [Mr. IALDING] has well said, for that next war, which is of course to be on the ocean.