Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1907-09-27
OBJECT ID THE
 REMOVAL OF SHIPS People of North Atlantic Coast File Objections to the Transfer of American War Vessels to Pacific.
WILL BE BIG EXPENSE
Experienced in Providing COal-East Coast Would Be Left Defenseless-Lawyers Threaten to Eni0in Government.
Special to the Graphic.

l jections to the transfer of the Atlantic fleet to the Pacific ocean are begin ming to take practical form For sev- eral weeks rumblings of an impending storm have been heard, but until with in a day or two, the protests have taken the shape only of hot air Nov that the people of the North Atlantic Coast, particularly these of the West I England ports, who have fattened and grown rich from prolonged catering to Government war vessels, realize that the Administration has determ- ined to send the great fleet to the Pacific and that their revenues will be affected seriously, they are laying all the obstacles possible in the way of the trip.
 It is quite likely that the matter will be brought to the attention ;'f Congress as soon as it shall convene in December and that an effort will be made to have the trip abandoned. Many Congressmen in the Eastern states have gone on record as oppos- ing the transfer of the fleet, even though the transfer be only tempo rary. They raise the sentimental ob- jection that it will leave the eastern coast practically undefended and that Iin the event of trouble the fleet could not be gotten back to it's present base in time to be of any avail.
 The real reason for the objections, however, is that vast amount of money, which ordinarily would be ex- pended at the North Atlantic ports in the maintenance of the fleet, will be Iexpended on the Pacific coast, so long as the fleet may remain there, and the New England people do not en- |joy the prospect of that money getting |away from them.
 Already there is likelihood that trouble will be made for the Govern lment in it's work of providing coal for the immense fleet The Bureau Of Eouipment of the Navy Department lhas estimated that it will require 253 900 tons of coal, in addition to the amount carried by the Government colliers which will accompany the fleet, to the war vessels to San Fran cisco and to coal them on their ar Iriyal there. Proposals have been call led for by the Navy Department for the supplying of this coal. The specih- cations call for it's delivery, in ad- vance of the fleet, at various ports along the eastern and western coasts of South America Much of it is to be carried in vessesl of foreign registry. Against this the New England people have risen up in arms.
 Lawyers, acting for eastern ship owners, have notified the Navy Department that they will seek by injunction to prevent the delivery of coal in foreign bottoms to the fleet afte.. it's arrival in American waters on the Pacific. It would not be possible for them to accomplish anything in this way outside of American waters: but they declare their intention to bring test case the arrival of the fleet at the Pa cific Coast Navy yards.
 Law officers of the department are not particularly concerned about the threat, because they hold, under the law, the vessels may take sup plies of coal or anything else they may need from foreign vessels in the absence of offers from American vessels at reasonable prices.
 This effort to embarrass the Navy Department is regarded as only the first obstacle to be placed in the way of the transfer of the fleet. Others are expected to follow and it is regarded as not improbable that the movement of the fleet may be delayed in consequence.