Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1909-12-04
KEEP ALL NAVY
YARDS SAYS
SECRETARY
MEYER ST0UTLY OPPOSED
TO ABANDONMENT POLICY
Two Great BattIeShipS Asked
for in Annual Report; Wants
Younger Men for AdmiraIS
and Captains,

OllO ONPtttillSi
lsy Morning Journal Special Leased wireI
Washington ID. c., Dec. 3.-Dcspite
! the agitation to close some OF the ma
w yards along the Southern coast,
pose any such step for the present.
This much was made plain in his am
nual report submitted to President
Taft today.
Secretary Meyer says that he is not
entirely convinced that the govern
ment can advantageously give up
sites, in which large expenditures
have been made, until after the OPP
ening of the Panama canal, when ii
definitely can be demonstrated which
are likely to be of the greatest value
1T is not unknown in the history
of the government" says the secre-
tary, " that national reservations have
been given up and later were bought
back at increased cost" Again in
discussing the same subject. he says
that the completion OF the Panama
NN"N'' ~ Wv Ni'Pi'iN"' " ''""N =" wv
| Gun OF Mexico ana the Whole CarlD-
bean region and the probable m
| crease ol the naval eslapl'shnleht 70
! meet our hatlohal Responsiveness III
that area VIII probably can Tor sup
ply stations in part for the heavy
fleet. but principally for the torpedo
craft and submarines and the smaller
vessels needed there.
lie urges the extreme uoslraplllty
OF developing the naval s'atloh paftN
| established AZ Guahtanamo, Nup"'
with the opening OF the fahana ca d
mai the caribbean sea VIII become the
scene ol the great comiherclal actNl'y
ana our responsibility as to the ponce
ana maintenance can tof an adequate
naval repair pase IN that locaiitE.
The secretary reviews IN detail his
proposed pian FOR The peos&anization
OF the navy and IN addition makes
many recommendations Tor the con-
duct or afalrs IN ms department
Two more battleships OF the alI-big
gun type are recommended 10 be
constructed put ON accout or th' de-
sire to keep down the expenditures ne
asks only for repair ship IN addition
to these two proposed giants of the
sea.
The completion of the big dry dock
at the brooklyn navy yard IS urged,
and furthermore the secretary says
that lit is clear that one dock ON the
Atlantic coast for docking our larg-
est battleships, is not sufficient since
that one might be injured. In TINS
connection, he points out that pro-
visions for docking of heavy vessels
injured or damaged in action of by
stranding are almost entirely lacking
and that but few navy yards exist ON
either coast which have sufficient wa
ter to dock an injured battleship
drawing four or five feet more than
its ordinary draft
ship construction at the navy yards
of the United States is opposed as q
principle bv the secretary, only oC-
casionally as a check on costs OF par
ticular types, does he believe that the
United states should build snip
Shipbuilding concerns should be on
couraged. in his opinion. SO that the
government can profit 10y their cN-
pcriencc and resources. and also be-
cause ordinarily the work Is done
more economically by them than at
navy Yards
Furthermore. Secretary Meyer IL
opposed to congress restricting the
construction by one shipbuilding COM
pany to one battleship. or to requir-
ing one battlcship To be constructed
at a navy yard or on one coast or
the other.
Estimates Tor the coming llS'hl
year were included in the report