Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-02
MONEY FOR WARSA|PS
Annual Report of Secretary
Metcalf.
NAVY WEAK IN PLACES
insufficient Number of Destroyers,
Submarines and Golfers.
THE BUILDING PROGRAM
Cannot Hold Second Place in Efici-
ency Unless Congress Shall Au-
tAorize New Ships.

Undoubtedly the principal feature of the
annual report of Secretary Metcalf is the
building program for the navy for the
coming fiscal year Following a state
ment that the United States Navy is now
second in point of efficiency, the Secre-
tary says:
Our position is largely due to the fact
that during the past fiscal year our sea
strength and fighting efficiency have been
increased by the completion and delivery
of number of new battleships and cruis-
ers of the largest and most approved type
but we will not maintain this position
very long unless Congress shall authorize
the building of additional ships. 1t is of
the highest Importance that old and prac-
tcally obsolete ships be replaced by ships
of the newest type. IT is pretty generally
conceded that the battleship is the fight
ing machine and it is also pretty gener-
ally conceded that the most effective bat
tleship is the all-big-g gun. ship of the Della
ware type. As compared with other naval
powers, we are deficient in destroyers and
submarines, and are also woefully de-
ficent in golfers.
The four GOLFERS if authorized to be
built in government yards. one at New
York. one at League Island, one at Nor
folk and one at Portsmouth. The build
ing of these golfers at government yards
would give permanent employment to a
number of men, and would enable the
government to keep constantly on hand
force of skilled and experienced mechan-
les. Ordinarily I would recommend that
one of these GOLFERS be built at one of the
government yards on the Pacific coast.
but the organization of the Pacific fleet
and the ordering of the cruiser squadron
from the orient to the Pacific coast will
give these yards all that they can posi-
bly, attend to for some time to come.
Cost of the Vessels.
II have adopted in fixing the limit of
cost of these vessels, the figures of the
board on construction in preference to
those of the general board. There should
in my judgment. be an ample margin in
the cost limitation. so as to enable the de-
partment to obtain the best and most
modern ships. and, above all. to reduce
the time limit of delivery. There Is no
reason why we should not build a ship
within the same time as ships are built
by other naval powers. Our mechanics
are just as skiliful. and all the material
used in shipbuilding Is produced in our
own country. Foreign powers have dem
onstrated that warships of the greatest
tonnage can be built within one year. The
keel Of the Japanese cruiser Ibuki. of
$500 tons displacement was laid at Kure
on the I'd of May. 1907, and the vessel was
launched on the 21st of November. The
English Dreadnought was built and COM
missioned within one year. and there is
no reason why. If proper inducements are
held out to our shipbuilAers. we cannot
build and commission a ship within the
same length of time
The report contains a review of the
shipbuilding programs of foreign coun-
tries. which are summarized as follows: