The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1907-10-30
SING PROPOSITION OF HAVING
Submarine Porpoise.. .. G.

Secretary Metcalf, It is expected, will
recommend in his annual report that
no less than two battlesnips be author
lied by congress this winter. He may
recommend as high as four if his re-
mark of this week is to be accepted
as indicating his belief in the navy's
needs. A battle ship costs a neat sum
OF money. There was paid out of the
treasury for the Massachusetts $6,047,-
1895, for the Oregon So,575 ,O32.76. for
the Ohio $5,265, 3O9.71 All of the bat
tie ships have. cost over $4,OOOOOO each
and only two of the new armored
cruisers cost less than 100000. The
new 2OOO0-ton ships win cost 10000
600 each, exclusive of armament
In connection with President Roose-
velt's PROBABLE attitude this winter to-
ward an increase in number of battle
ships, it may be of interest to set forth
what he has said in his annual mes
sages since he has become president
on the general subject of increases OF
our sea strength.
FIRST MESSAGE TO CONGRESS.
In 1901 in his first message to con-
gress President Roosevelt devoted
nearly five pages to recommendations
and comments on the navy. His rec
ommendation for an increased number
of ships was indefinite, couched in
these words: 1T is unsafe and unwise
not to provide this year for several
additional battle ships and heavy ar
mored cruisers, with auxiliary and
lighter craft IN proportion for the ex-
act numbers and character l refer you
to the report of the secretary or the
navy" At that time we had seven
teen battle ships appropriated for, OF
which nine were completed and in
commission for actual service. In this
message Mr.. Roosevelt is found using
the phrase of which he has become so
enamored and which appears in his
Cairo speech. He closed his comments
on the navy in this first message with
this sentence: at has been well said
that there is no surer way of counting
national disaster than 10 be 'opulent,
aggressive and unarmed.
The navy occupies only two pages in
the message of 1902 and there is no
recommendation for specific increase
in the number Of ships. The matter of
more battleships is dismissed on this
one sentence: There should be no
halt is the work of building up the
navy. providing every year additional
fighting craft" One page suinces for
Mr.. Roosevelt's coments on the navy
and it's neeus in 1903. He says: Il
heartily congratulate the congress up
on the steady progress in building up
the American navy. We cannot afford
a Iet-up in this great work. To stand
still means to go back. There should
be no cessation in adding to the eff
fectiye units of the fighting strength
of the fleet
GIST OF 1904 OPINIONS.
81 most earnestly recommend that
building the American navy
But most of all we need to continue
drilling, building our fleet of battle
ships or ships so powerfully armed
that they can infict a maximum of
damage upon our opponents and so
well protected that they can suffer
severe hammering in return without
fatal impairment of their ability to
fight and maneuver."
That is the gist of the presidents
recommendations concerning the navy
in his annual message of 1904.
The next year G9O5) the president
has changed his tone. The navy had
got big enough to suit him. His mes
sage of that year reads: 1T does not
seem to me necessary, however, that
the navy shouldn't least in the inn
mediate future-be increased beyond
the present number of units What
is now clearly necessary is to substi-
tute efficient for inefficient units as the
latter become worn out or as it be-
comes apparent JnaL Jhey are useless
Probably the result would be attained
by adding single battle ship to our
navy each year, the superseded or out
worn vessels being laid up or broken
up as they are thus replaced.
During the present congress there need
be no additions to the aggregate num-
her of units of the navy Our navy
though small relatively to the navies
of other nations, is for the present suf-
ficient in point Of numbers for our
needs, and, while we must constantly
strive to make its sufficiently higher,
there need be no additions to the total
number of ships now built and build
ing, save in the way of substitutions
as above outlined"