New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-12-05
MEYER WOULD ABOLISH
EIGHT NAVAL STATIONS
Saws They Are Too Expensive
and of Little Practical
Value.
GUANTANAMO BEST BASE
To Defend Panama Canal
Pearl Harbor Principal lnsular
Station-Aeroplanes Fav-
ored-Tribute to Peary.

Station-Aeroplanes Fav-
ored-Tribute to Peary.
Washington. Dec 4-The results Of A
s~sreful personal Investigation by Secretary
Never Of many Of the navy yards and
: naval stations are apparent in recon-
g-endations for the abolition Of some of
them and the development of others. Sec
rotary Never in his annual report recon-
-,e7ds giving I'd and d:sposing of the
naval stations at New Orleans, Pensacola,
san Juan. Port Royal. New London. Sack
x---s FFarbor, CuIebra and Cavite. He
finds that the average cost OF maintaining
-hasa stations for the last five years has
been g 572.675 q year. while little useful
--ork has beer performed in them
re saws that I'm making these recon-
-7erdations he is following directly along
-re progressive plans which have been
s6cr7ea in great commercial and manu-
: featuring enterprises in this country. which
3 rave dismantIed unnecessary and anti
s cgatea plants and discontinued their exist
: ence where II has been found improbable
+ - continue them at n cost not Commeusu-
-ate win their product
To Strengthen Guantanamo.
coasts can best be defended by an effective
naval station at Guantanamo, Cuba where
emergency docking and repair facilities
should be provided at an expense of about
ssa. no or S4oao00. This would involve the
transfer 10 Guantanamo Of the New Or
leans floating dock and machine tools from
The AIEiers yard and from Pensacola Key
= Wesz alone of the Gulf naval stations,
- srolcid De maintained, he says, not as a
first class station, but for the supply and
Quick repair Of small gUnboats and tor
redo boats and Gestroyers operating in the
Caribbean Sea. The Secretary predicts
: mat IN tine Of war the cities Of the Gulf
coast VIII be. from their natural security,
the chief sources Of supplies and material
Rnd the probable points from which troops
vii embark either for the IsthTaUs OF Pan
aua for further transit, or for service in
the Caribbean. as may be required
Because the Portsmouth. Boston. New
York. Philadelphia and Norfolk navy yards
have accessible drydocks. of which there
are too fen, re considers II impossible to
give I'D any Of them Port Royal has a
orvdock unapproachahle for batteships- or
even cruisers. and the Charleston dock is
useless for battleships or cruisers. as the
channel fns in at the rate Of from three 10
four feet z year
Defence OF Pacific Coast.
on the Pacific Coast Secretary Meyer
finds the Bremerton yard at a disadvantage
through lack Of railroad communication
and distance from any large supply of
labor But i1s further development is re-
garded as e necessity, in view OF the fact
that the feet at some time after the open
ing OF the Panama Canal may be based IN
the Pacific Ocean
The Mare Island yard IS severely Criti-
cised for its fnaccessibility. both on &C
count Of its great distance from san Fran
cisco and the shaIlowness OF the channel
The muddy water Of San Pablo Bay is also
said n work havoc with the condensers Of
the varships No battIesflip injured IL &C
ton could De taken TO Mare Island even
for temporary repairs. Tor could the yard
I,e reached by z number OF the heavy bat
rieships or heavy cruisers even when unln-
5ured- ne says But Si4,coo,0o0 has already
been spent on this yard. and the Secretary
thinks that IN order 10 avoid q total loss
81 would be wise 70 utilize II for vessels
that can reach il, and for such nlanuIact-
Trfrg and repair work on the larger vessels
as can readily De sent 70 the yard and re-
turned 70 the vessels living in San Fran
cisco BAY He SAYS II VIII be necessary 10
establish docking and repair station for
har1Ieships on San Francisco Bay, in some
place Yet 10 be selected. and meanwhile
me feet must depend on Puget Sound, al
though there should be more than one yard
available II the battleship feet is 10 be
based in the Pacific
Pearl Harbor viii be made the principal
fnsular defence base IN the Pacific Ocean
Oiongapo. in the Philippines. is TO be q
small repair station. and the station at
Cavite is to be disposed Of. according to
the Secretary's plans. its tools being trans
ported 10 Olongapo-
The Construction Programme.
Following the established policy in an
nual nevaI construction. the Secretary rec
ornends the authorization Of two battle
ships. one collier. one gunboat. one river
gtuboat. TWO seagoing tugs. two subma-
-ines and one submarine tender He strong
y deprecares any break in the established
policy. because OF its bad effect on the
shipyards OF the country, on whose main
renance the navy must depend IN time of
va-- The small cruisers and gIIn5oats are
becoming useless through age. he says
and while the department desires 10 mini
r1ize expenditures on such vessels Of slight
military valUe certain number are abso-
Iutely necessary for police duty surveying
and other work in times of peace.
Twenty years is about the effective life
Of 2 battleship. Mr.. Never thinks, and
even then the last ten years Of that period
should BE- spent in the second line of de-
fence This short life Is rather the result
o evolution In ship design and ordnance
tran Of actual decrease IN efficiency in the
ship itself To make up for the retirement
q these obsolete vessels. there must he
authorized after 1872 in addition 10 me
TAG ships q year provided In the estab-
isned programme a sufficient number or
vessels TO maintain the feet at the mini
mum Of twenty ships Of the first line.
- American flag officers are the Oldest in
HE world and consequently retire within
year Of TWO after attaining that rank with
oGt Developing their fullest efficiency. The
Secretary therefore strongly urges the pas
sage If the personnel bill pending before
Congress. which viii insure rapidity Of
promotion ard the accession % the higher
Fr~des Of the service Of q limited number
- officers especially qualified He re-
quests the creation Of grades above that or
rear admiral so as 20 conform to foreign
naval practice and FOUND administration
Asks 25,oo0 for eeroplsnes.
Secretary Never speaks with pride OF
tie working Of his reorganization plan ano
points "a q reduction Of about $5.oo9oJo IN