New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-12-02
PRICE THREE CENTS.
STRONG PLEA FOR THE NAVY
SECRETARY HERBERT TELLS OF ITS
NEEDS AND URGES ITS INCREASE.

TLE-sHIPs AND AT LEAST TWELVE TORPEDO
BoArs AND ASKS FOR AUTHoRITY'To MAIN
TAIN A RESERVE AND TO ENLIST voLUN-
TEERs IN CASE or EMERGENCY
PLANS FOR INCREASED EFFICIENCY
A TRIBUTE TO AMERICAN SHIP
BUILDERS - LARGE APPRo-
pRIAYIoNs NEEDED.
! Washington Dec. Advocates Of the new
| Navy will find qualification in the annual report
| of Secretary Herbert to the President The SEQ.
retary recommends the construction Of two bat.
tleships and at least twelve torpedo-boats, ana
he prefaces his recommendation with the state
ment that an inspection OF the tables showing the
relative strength OF navies will furnish. II is be-
leyed, all the argument now needed for the con-
| tinuation OF the building programme heretofore
| indicated by the action OF Congress. We are not
! in want, he says, Of ordinary unarmored cruisers
or OF gunboats but We are amentably deficient
! In torpedo-boas. and we certainly need moro
battle ships An inspection OF the building pro-
| grammes of other nations will demonstrate that
the lessons taught at yaloo and Wei -Hai-We have
tended to confirm the belief OF naval experts
throughout the world In the efficacy Of these two
! classes Of vessels.
That gunboats and torpedo-boats may be built
! CHtdpy tue SrCIttdly DDiHtS VNN 49,
gratifying progress By our manufacturers Of steel
and our ship-builders and the competition among
them has enabled the Department during the last
two years, he says, 70 contract for gunboats and
| torpedo-b boats at larg: reduction from former
prices
The price per ton for the gunboats Machias and
Castne. contracted for in April $780, was 1902 So:
the average price Of the three gunboats con-
tracted for in January, 1894 and Of the six others
just et to contract is 1922 "a per ton. saving
Of $50 % per ton or 26 per Of the price Of the
! ships The price Of the Ericsson. contracted Tor
! in October 1891. was S945 SO per ton. The aver
age price OF the six torpedo o-boats contracted for
in 1898 is s766 5S per ton reduction Of $l79 %
per ton. or Of about 20 per cent in the price Of
the boats. These prices compare favorably with
! the prices for similar work done abroad.
Toward this proposed increase In the Navy. Mr..
Herbert estimates that s963s3s3 is necessary.
/ and. inclusive Of that amount. his estimate for
! the complete expenses of the naval esta blishment
for the fiscal year ending June 80. 1897. aggre-
gate s29,3 l66 out OF the appropriations for
the current fiscal year-amounting to sl42l2SOl-
there remains ss+2,2s6.
NEED FOR A NAVAL RESERVE.
With the exception Of the appeal Tor moro
ships, the most important topic treated by Sec
retary Herbert is that Of A reserve system. He
prefaced his suggestion that such system BE-
established with some comment on the necessity
| for having more enlisted men, and recommends
| that the enlistment Of 1000 more be authorized.
| Giving figures to show how small our enlisted
| force is and how large those of European coun-
| tries are, he makes comparison OF our lS.$So
| blue Jackets and marines TO Germanys H.4sI
| Germanys available men, while not all at one
time in actual service on board ship, would in
case Of war, furnish lack OF trained and
drilled material FOR the Imperial navy, and"
says the Secretary "in case Of naval war.
readiness, other conditions being equal. means
victory"
In the emergency of war coming quickly. what
should we do for men? he asks. All allowed by
law are enlisted. and all enlisted are already on
ships. We have he says . magnificent squadron,
II armed and Manned but he adds, We have not
a man TO put upon OF them, and no authority
Of law to accept the services Of single one OF
the thousands, who. in case Of war. would volun-
teer to serve. AIr. Herbert says
All this ought to be. 1t is the height OF un;
call them our auxiliary navy unless we have the
means Of armng them IT, is & foIy TO m maintain tness
man them and certainly 1t is unwise and short
procuring the men who to utilize these vessss
until after the emergency OF an aiways-possibis
shall have arisen.
~
There is other nation that has so much of the
material OF war that is SO little prepared TO ulizS
it-that has so much OF personnei avaiiapie and
ploy It,. The Department needs present authority 70
will he sufficient II the policy herein outlined BE-
approved by Congress 70 answer the necessities OF
on peace footing; It will certainly suffice for years
to come.
But Congress should not stop here. he says. and
he therefore suggests that in order to be able to
man our reserved fleet and such naval vessels
as may not have full Crews the President be
authorized 10 enlist in the naval service. upon
exlgencies to be judged Of by him. such Of the
naval militia and other men. not 10 exceed alto
gether the number necessary to man all the ships
OF the Navy and such ships as under the laws
now existing hereafter TO be enacted. the
Government may have the right to call into its
service. for period Of. say. two years. the Gov
ernment reservng the privilege OF discharginS
when the exigencv may have passed.
The Secretary follow these arguments with
statement as TO the necessity OF keeping always
a portion Of our fleet in reserve He shows by
tables that OF the total number OF vessels belong
ing to Great Britain, France, Germany and Italy,
555 per cent are in reserve and AS in commits
sion. and says that rule our battle ships.
coast defence vessels and torpedo-boats, after
they have been broken in. should be kept large
ly In reserve Policing the could be done bet
ter and more economically by cruisers OF lighter
draught carrying smaller crews. and BY gun.
boats.
PLANS OF THE DEPARTMENT.
The idea which Secretary Herbert thus sug-
gests is summed up In this manner:
The Department propose unless otherwise direct
ed ty you by Congress- to keep as soon as cir.
cumstances may permit. number OF sAips. chiefly
monitors and coast-deferce batte-ships as ship
of the first reserve" After vessel in this cate
CORY has been thoroughly oNerhauled and put in
first-cass condition IN all respects she will he
taken the station whore she ID 10 lie and her
officers and reduced To a skeleton organtzaton
composed Of skilled art!fcers and other leading me n
TO care for her battery. hull and motive power.
Such OF her stores may rot be necessary for her