The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1910-03-01
PRES|DENTO OUT.
AT TER BIC
NAVY
Would Make United States the
Worlds Greatest Naval
Power.
URGES TWO BATTLESHIPS
OF $4,000 TONS EACH
Believes Grades of Admiral and
Vice-AdmiraI Should
Be Had.
DREADNOUGHTS PLANNED
FOR THE PACIFIC OCEAN
Japan Said to Be Laying Down
Two Greatest Warships
in the World.
DREADNOUGHTS PLANNED
FOR THE PACIFIC OCEAN
Japan Said to Be Laying Down
Two Greatest Warships
in the World.

WASHINGTON, February 27.-The
administration is pledged to a naval
policy which, if carried out, will place
the United States at the very front
of the naval powers of the world. Bat
tleships which will form a class by
themselves, reorganization of the per
sonnet so that young men will command
Americas war fleets, and increased
rank for commanding officers are among
the naval reforms urged by the admin
istration.
Young blood in command of the navy
is the keynote of the message which
President Taft yesterday transmitted
to congress. The President endorses
the plan of Secretary of the Navy
George Won L. Meyer which would re-
arrange promotion so that the grade
of rear admirals would be reached at an
average age of fifty.four years and the
grade of captain at an average age of
forty-six. spWl
In his message the President stated
that this arrangement does not provide
for men in the higher ranks young
enough to be of the best service to the
country but says that it would be a
decided improvement over the present
state of affairs. The President is firm
" convinced that the Meyer plan could
be bettered by arranging to have men
reach the high offices in the navy
earlier in life than is contemplated by
the secretary of the navy.
Admiral and Vice Admiral.
The President strongly recommends
retaining the grade of admiral and
creating the grade of vice admiral
Under the present law the grade of
admiral becomes extinct upon the death
of Admiral Dewey while the grade of
vice admiral does not exist. The Pres
ident. in his message, urged that con.
siderations of military efficiency and
national dignity demand that the fleets
of the United States be commanded by
men with rank at least equal to that
born by officers holding similar COM
mands in foreign navies.
Greatest Naval Power.
The President also urged the con-
struction of two giant battleships OF
a tonnage of $4,000 each and to cost
$ls000,0U0 apiece. This would make
the United States the leading naval
nower of the world, position which
the President believes that the country
should occupy.
The part of the Meyer plan laid be-
fore the house committee on naval
affairs has been favorably received,
and it looks as though the administra.
ton could count upon the support of
congress as far as its naval plans are
concerned.
The government has received unoffi-
cial information that Japan is laying
the keels of the two largest battleships
IN the world.
Dreadnoughts For Pacific.
It has been tentatively agreed by
congress that the naval increase shall
include two battleships of $4,000 tons
each, one repair ship, two colliers and
five submarines for the Pacific Coast
Not since the introduction of the
lronclad has there been such radical
tendency in the direction of naval i'm.
provement noticeable in congress, and
the administration program will, it
is believed, meet with the pretty gen.
eral approval of both the house and
the senate.