Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1908-08-08
SWORD HANGS over
navy OFFICIALS
Roosevelt Takes Hand
In Construction
Question

verse upheaval OF TINS spring appear
tame by comparison. The disturb
ance is expected Wednesday when
the President and y distinguished
of naval officers will meet
at the Navy War College at Newport.
Criticism of the new battleship
North Dakota will be the subject and
the President Is determined to get
to the bottom OF the facts. II the
ships are being constructed on wrony
lines he intends to call halt on fur
ther plans along these lines and the
clash of bureaus that will ensue In
that event will be augmented by the
crashing of the big stick on ancient
custom.
Great preparations are being taxi
en- to keep the public In, ignorance
of the discussion. Armed sentries
will surround the Army College dur
ing the conference. and none will be
permitted to pass. In this way It Is
hoped to avoid the publicity that fol-
lowed the criticism Of Henry Reuter-
dahl, the marine artist, that the ar
NOR plate on battleships was unskiil-
fully placed.
Practically all the chiefs of the
naval bureaus and several officers on
the retired list have been summoned
to attend the meeting. Among these
are Rear Admirals Caspar r. Good
rich. william s. Cowles, A. r. Cou-
den. William Swift. f. II. C. Leutze,
and Royal II. Ingersoll: Captains Aa-
ron Ward, Nathan Il. Niles, and
Charles J. Badger; Naval Construct
ors David w. Taylor and Richard II.
Robinson: Commanders william s.
Sims and Albert l.. Key; Lieutenant
! Commanders Clarence +. Williams
and Arthur l.. Willard. and Lieuten-
ant p. w. Foote.
KEYS Sweeping Report
The first topic to be taken up. and,
the real cause for the calling of the
conference, is report of Commander
Key to the President. In which he
made sweeping criticisms of the bat
tleship North Dakota. sister ship of
the Delaware. These criticisms have
| oCCh hCpt bcCEctp cNCh
from naval officers. The plans for
the North Dakota and Delaware were
drawn some time ago and submitted
to the Fifty-ninth Congress for ap-
proval. II was on these plans In u
general way that the session just
adjourned appropriated funds for the
construction of new all-big-gun bat
tleships. to be called the Florida and
Utah.
But. as II is the Presidents inten-
ton to have the two ships that Cop1,
gress authorized as powerful and ef.
ficient as they can be made. he will
insist that. II they are to be built
lalong the same general lines as the
North Dakota and Delaware, he must
know whether these ships are recog-
nized as first class. II there is any
difference of opinion among the bu-
reau chiefs he wants to know 1t be-
fore the work progresses to any ex-
tent.
Criticism Of Armament
While. as has been said. the con-
y tents OF Commander Keys disturbing
10 report have not been made public by
10 the President, II IL accepted that one
u OF the chief criticisms made relates
to armament. The manner In which
re the ten-inch guns were mounted was
s. a matter Of discussion at the time
IN the plans were drawn. The Bureau
CT Of Ordnance at the time declined t.
ne permit any interference with III
ct plans. 1t would surprise few II thu
ed President, in view of all the ,circum
ne stances. abolished the present Nava
he Board of Construction and substitut
ITS ed for It Board of Design with
H. wholly different membership.
There Is no doubt that this pla'
a would meet with the most violen
he opposition from influential quarter
he both with and without the service
lso Armed with the constitutional au
nd thority as mmander-in-chief OF tn
a Navy, however, the President prob
rst ably will not be deferred from takin
oh such action II he deems It best I
vas anticipation of the meeting the sta
i'd of the War College already has take
up the question Of designs for futur
- battleships. These will be consider
ed ed at the coming meeting. Thel
as have also been inquiries along otht
nv lines, and the entire question OF +,
he form will be threshed out.
ca Swords Hang Over Mighty
In the opinion OF naval officers ST
IttAnaA to