The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-02-10
NEEDS OF OUR NAVY.
BETTER ARMAMENT AND MORE MEN
ARE NECESSARY.
reorganization Of tho Personnel Urged by
Assistant Secretary of the Navy Roose-
veit-shouid Fave More oficers-Pres-
ont Condition of the Coast Defenses.


,eit-shouid Have More Ofacers-Pres-
ont Condition of the Coast Defenses.
Assistant Secretary of the Navy Roose-
velt again pointed out recently the needs
under which the navy iabors.
While the guns of the Baltimore, Boston.
Can Francisco, Yorktown, Concord and
bennington were very effective in their
day. Mr.. Roosevelt said. they are now
away behind the times. All of the ships
% tho service are In excellent condition
with the exception Of their guns and in
order to keep the efficiency of the latter up
10 their highest point 1t is necessary to be
continually adopting improvements. While
the vessels he named are equal in all re-
sneots. with the exception of their arma-
ment. TO modern ships abroad, this Is a de-
feet which, in his opinion, congress should
take steps to correct without loss of time
The Kaiserin Augusta of the German
navy. furnished with rapid fire @ inch
ouns of the most modern tpye; the Yo-
sbino type of the Japanese service, armed
with and inch rapid fire guns, and 9TH
or vessels of the English and French navy
furnished with modern breechloading
rifles, he compared with the Baltimore,
BOSTON. San Francisco and vessels of the
Yorktown class and found them greatly
sunerior as a result of their excellent and
modern armament.
The cruiser New York, the flagship of
the north Atlantic squadron, should also,
In Mr.. Roosevelt's opinion, be supplied
with modern rapid fire guns, and he ex-
dressed the hope that congress would pro-
vide sufficient money to construct the 9
inch guns needed for the ships mentioned.
Another need of the navy upon which
Mr.. Roosevelt dwelt relates to the person.
mel. More officers and more men are badly
needed and, in addition, the reorganiza-
ton of the personnel is sadly desired. This
is what Mr.. Roosevelt said on this point:
eve ought to have more officers and
more men. AS regards the personnel of
the navy, the most important thing to do
is for congress to pass the personnel bill
submitted to congress by Secretary Long.
Nothing will further tend to reorganize
the navy than that. Nothing will benefit
it more And the friends of the navy who
appreciate the navy's needs should do all
in their power to secure the passage of a
measure which has the backing of 80 per
cent of the men in the service who are best
qualified to speak, and of the men outside
most intelligent in approaching the navy s
needs
ave should also greatly increase the
force Of enlisted men. The minimum of
men that should be added is 1000 and we
should also have 500 or 900 extra appren-
tices. 1t must be remembered am setting
forth as regards the increase of the officers
and enlisted men the least limit of what
should be done"
The necessity for additional enlisted
men is today most crying. In his annual
report Captain A. S. Crowninshield, chief
of the bureau of navigation, said that con-
gress should authorize an additional enlist
ment of /, 500 men and 500 apprentices.
without this increase, Captain Crown
inshield states, "no further expansion OF
the navy is possible, and even now it has
become necessary to take valuable ships
out of service in order that new vessels
may be commissioned. The approaching
completion of five large battleships, to say
nothing of smaller vessels, makes the ne
cessity for this increase present The ad
ditional officers cannot be obtained mt once,
but authority should be given to increase
their numbers and begin their training
now. The 1crease in numbers has been
put at figures which represent necessities,
believing thu congress can be convinced
that these figures do represent necessities
and not merely symbols used to obtain
something less
Naval officers with whom I talked to-
day pointed ut that with the complicated
machinery of today it was necessary &c
employ SIX led machinist, one who had
been given thorough opportunity to learn
MS calling.
Secretary Long in his annual report In
discussing the need of the service with re
spect to enlisted men, said:
while the increase of vessels has beer
constant, provision has not been made fol
securing corresponding increase of EN-
listed men. During the next two years
i've battleships of the first class and II
torpedo boats are to be placed In commits
sion. Those now In commission absorb al
the officers and men allowed by law. Al
vessels under construction are completed
1t will be necessary in order to place then
In commission to take other vessels ou
and put them in reserve. Those in reserve
can be made ready for service in few
days, but to make the reserve system o.
value the secretary of the navy should b'
authorized to make additional enlistment
at least to the extent recommended by th'
bureau of navigation.
= 1t Is also important that we should b'
able to avail ourselves of our resources IL
our merchant fleet. Under existing Law
the government is paying subsidies to {
number of vessels which in case of wa
would prove mere adjuncts to the navy
put the secretary should have authority
need be, to enlist men for them and Il
provide officers to command them. In thi
connection l quote from the last annua
report of my predecessor, Mr.. Herbert
IN the opinion of the department sucl
conditions should not be allowed to con
tinue. Naval wars hereafter will be short
snarp and decisive. Whoever may be called
upon to consider the possibility Of sud
uen outbreak of war by the United States
any part of which Is to be waged upon tn
nlgh seas, will be deeply impressed will
.ne utter inability of any administration
Under presenb laws to utilize promptly ant
einciently as we should be able to do on
naval resources
The present condition of our coast de
De-