The Cairo bulletin., 1907-03-26
METCALF TORUsH
NEWDAIT ITLESH|PS
SECRETARY or NAVY DETERM-
lNED TO HAVE BIG VESSELS
BUILT IN TWO YEARS.
RED TAPE CAUSES DELAY
Which Has Brought chagrin To u. 8.
Line officers-Department Tired
Of Old Methods VIII Hurry
Work on Ships.


Washing on March 25 Secretary
Metcalf's desire, which he has es-
pressed in most positive manner. to
advertise by May | for bids for The
two battleships OF the Dfeadnanghs
type authorized by the fiftyninth
congress and to open the bids BY July
4. has met with he most hearty al,-
provaI of the line officers III the navy.
They are row hoping that the Soc
retary viii filIow up this preliminary
step BY insisting that the vel sells
shall be completed and delivered I'D
the government In two years at NEST
and preferably in year and a half
Such rapid progress In naval con
struetlon would be a new thing In
the United States. but it is believed
there Is no real obstacle in it's way.
Since the beginning. a quarter III d
century ago, of the building of cur
new navy here has never been
ship completed and placed III com
mission until a long time after It's de
sign, that other nations, and parsicH
lariy Great Britain. had already put
in service ship or ships OF better
design, or OF greater speed. or pos,
sessing more or less superiority due
to the progress Of the science oG
naval construction la the interim
which had elapsed
Line Officers Feel Disgrace.
Naturally, the dlspiace which at
tsches To the slow construction at
ships is fell most by the line officer.
mho Ii In no wise responsible for ii.
because he IL " VINO goes to sea on
board the belated ship IN command
|or as an executive. navigating or
wcatch officer, and III whatever capa-
city he goes he is sure 10 be asked
|by his brethren of foreign navies
why 1t is that his ship Is so much be-.
hind the 'so-and-so.p whatever may
BIZ the aewest ship of another nation
And it Is hard for him to explain
that. with all our big steel and arnos
plants. the United States cannot
build ships rapidly as compared with
other countries. He knows and they
know, that the strides which the peo-
pie of this nation have masie In all
other mechanical directions have
been simply gigantic; that American
machinery Of every kind takes su.
nremacy over that OF foreign manu-
facture, and that the very ship yards
that are turning out government
work slowly are at the same time
merchant ships in almost
most record time.
Therefore. the line officer reasons,
and rightly. hat bureaucracy and de.
nartmentat red tape are the delaying
and these are the things
which II is hoped the secretary OF the
aayy will eliminate in connection
with the two new battleships.
The British Dreadnaughi stanis
low as the foremost example OF rapid
naval construction One year from
lhe date ii was laid Il started on its
trial trip, and now less than six
months later. Is doing extended
cruising, with all guns mounted and
ulTy ready for service.
No Haste in United States.
, Our own most recent battieships.
aid down four years ago. are still IN
in unfinished condition. requiring
months of work to complete and lack
rg some of their guns If our new
,hips. of the approximate size OF the
are built as slowly IN
proportion to the tonnage. as were
hese last. they win not be ready i'm
i've years from the time Of laying
iown.
The general board 81 the navy. II
ghieh Admiral Dewey is president.
Ias strongly urged upon the secretary
# the navy the great recessiy OF
that the big ships shah b.
completed in two years at most. anil
4 commanding he various construct
ne bureaus to desist from the things
phich cause delay aad to use their
Utmost endeayors to get the shirs IN
se 80 their own day and generation
instead Of after other nations have
designed and Commissioned ships os
uperiog qualities.