The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1906-05-26
STATES
UNPREPARED
FOR WAR
Condition Of the Navy Such as
Might Lead to DisasteF--
Admiral MaSOn'S Views.

washington, May 25-"Should war
break out within the next few years
the condition of the navy will be such
as to lead to disaster" says Rear Ad-
miral N. E. Mason, chief Of Ordnance
Bureau in an official communication
to the navy department. He calls at
tention to the reduction in the bureau
estimates by the department and the
house naval committee until the reduc-
ton has amounted to more than $12,-
100000, presenting situation in the
bureau of ordnance described at Tit
tie short of desperate" for the coming
fiscal year. There is now and will be
no reserve ammunition available for
any Of our important guns; it will be
necessary, probably, TO stop target
practice; new ships will have to be
sent into service without ammunition
or ordnance stores; there will be no
reserve guns, torpedoes or reserve
mines on hand (the bureau has not on
hand a single complete outfit or tor
pedoes for the present ships nor has
it any money with which to get them)
there are no range finders and no mon
ey to buy them, Rear Admiral Mason
urges that certain important items
stricken from the estimate and the
house naval committee may be re-
placed by the senate It Is also point
ed out that congress provides for an
increase Of the navy but makes no al
lowance for the acquisition of ord
nance and ordnance stores Of new
ships upon which situation Rear Ad-
miral Mason remarks; The evil eff
fects of this practice are accumula-
tive and the resulting lack of efficiency
has been increasing steadily for the
past few years until today the situa-
ton is so serious that the bureau be-
lieves that il would be guilty of the
graYest dereliction in the performance
of its duty to the people to congress
and to the department. did 1t not, with
the utmost respect, but in plain and
unmistakable language, place on rec
ord as having laid the actual facts as
they exist before all those who are
in a position to ameliorate the very
dangerous conditions which now ex,
list" A striking passage in the plea
OF Rear Admiral Mason is the follow
ing: The people of this country be-
lieve and justly. that ship for ship, our
navy is as efficient as any other, but
this efficiency disappears the minute
it becomes impossible to replace
aboard ships such stores and articles
as are necessary for use in war, and
which may be or are expended or
damaged in use. That minute is upon
us now, in spite Of the bureaus best
efforts, and We stand today with emp
ty storehouses and magaz' mes, so far
as modern reserve material is concern
ed. That efficiency Of the navy which
the country justly expects and de-
mands is not in existence, so far as
ordnance material is concerned, AMI
the navy will be found wanting unless
the deficiencies are made good with
out delay. That this condition actual.
~ exists the people have never been
informed, and congress does not ap-
pear to realize It, The bureau be-
lieves that it should be placed before
congress in the plainest and most con-
vinCing language, in order that there
may be no failure there to understand
the actual conditions which exist"