Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-10-13
The General Board Of The Navy
Recommends Very Heavy In.
crease Of Fighting vesstIs.
ASKS FOR THREE FAST SCOUTS
Would Also Have Six Torpedo Boa,
pestroyers and Four Submarine Tor.
pedo eoats--Need of Golfers and a
Repair Ship Brought Gu, by the
Voyage to the Pacific.

WASHINGTON Oct. 12.-Rccogniz-
lnS the diplomatic as we'll MS the fac-
''cai arguments In favor of the rapid
uhpullding of the navy, tho general
board, of which Admiral Dewey IN the
president, has made liberal rccommen.
cations FOR new authorizations by
Congress AT It's next session
-Four battlcships are the backbone
OF the recommendation. and the boards
memorandum calls for the most power.
III oil This type Yet projected, which. in
me American navy. is the Delaware
class. with its single cnllbro battery
hish speed and great stcaming radius
SIX torpedo boat destroycrg. three
scout cruisers. four submarines. one
repair ship and several Golfers com.
plete the recommendations.
While keeping in mind the limits To
which national policy places upon ma.
val expenditures, the general board, as
a rule, gives merely It's professional
opinion of the needs OF the service. 1
leaving details OF construction largely
tothcbnreaus of the Navy Department |
which are responsible for the builum,.
OF vessels under contract For this !
reason 1t VIII not be possible until
the. naval b,iaTd- on construction has
commented on the recommendations
TO state the characteristics of the new
ships desired. The Secretary of the
Navy and the President will decide
what Congress shall be asked to nu.
thorizc.
Needed for Protection.
me general board has been mindful
In drafting this recommendation OF
It's official report. rendered several
years ago. that adequate protection
of the coasts and commerce. of the
United States required navy based
upon an effective fleet OF fortyeight
bnttleships. twenty-four armored cruis.
ers. fortyeight torpedo boat destroy.
ers and forty-eight scouts, with other
war craft and auxiliaries In proportion.
The recommendations this year are
pitched upon a scale which would
bring the navy to the desired battle
ship strength in seven or eight years,
allowing for certain measure of de-
terioation in ships already built.
The year the general board outlined
its views as to the naval program
Congress authorized the construction
Iof five new battleships. For the last
two years only one has been authoriz-
ed at each session of Congress. This
velts agreement with Senator Hale
chairman of the Senate military affairs
committee, that one new hattleship a
year was sufficient increase. That
understanding has been thrown to the
winds since the President has recog
nized the commanding necessity for
sending large naval force to the Pa
cific and has seen how the movement
denudes the Atlantic coast of its
heavy protection.
President Roosevelt's recommends
ions to Congress will recognize the ne
|cessity OF having a navy large enough
for the protection of both the Atlantic
and Pacific coasts. To bring the feet
to this stage will require liberal APP
proltiations from Congress. The
preparations from Congress. The
amount of the annual naval appropria-
tion bills for the last four years mas
been around the slOO,OO0,OOO mark
The United States navy now consists
OF twenty-nine battle ships built, build
ing and authorized. This does not in
clude the battleship Texas. now rank
ed as obsolete, but does include the In
diana class. some OF which are being
rebuilt and the Iowa. which is in re-
serve. Ii the four ships recommended
by the general hoard are authorized
the total will be thirty-three battle
ships, Seven are still on the builders
stocks.
There are nine armored cruisers
either in service or undergoing re-
pairs. and three are under construction.
The three scout cruisers, the Chester,
the birmingham and the Salem, the
only ones of their type projected in
the American navy are nearly COM
lpleted and If the recommendations of
the general bora stand, their number
will be raised to seven, while the total
of torpedo boat destroyers will adj
vance from twenty-six to tilirty-two.
and that of submarines to twenty-four.
Without a Repair Ship.
At present the navy is without re.
pair ship. Duilt as such, but the auxil-
liary cruiser Panther Is being sonvert-
cd into one for the cruise of the At
lan;ic fleet to the Pacific.
This cruise has strikingly empha-
sized the poverty of the navy in col
liers For the fuel supply OF the fleet
IL hoe been necessarv to resort to for