Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1911-12-02
SECRETARY !! ! Won MEYER
CONTINUED from page l.)

-\NOutMu3u.AIOW UdSe ~
that there is q great deficiency in
the number Of ,crutsTs, scouts, de-
stroyers, submarines and auxiliaries
for the maintenance and protection
Of the battle fleet.
He suggests that all of these aux
iliaries need not be ordered at once,
but that the appropriation could be
stretched over q number of years.
Disturbances in Asia and Central
america, necessitating the ppotec
ton of interests Of this country, also
have shown the need for more light
draft gunboats for river use.
The secretary declares that ships
20 years old are obsolete and worth.
less even for the second line or re.
serve. His list shows the famous old
Oregon and her sister battleships In
dana and Massachusetts as HAVING
reached the fatal period and should
be replaced Immediately. as we'll as
the Iowa. In fact Secretary Meyer
names twelve battleShips that can 70
longer be regarded as available fer
the first line of battle and which
should be replaced by 1920. Aside
from those already indicated they are
the Kearsarge, Kentucky, Alabama,
Illinois, Wisconsin, Maine, Ohio and
Missouri. The youngest of these has
turned eleven years.
"A total of forty battleships with a
proportional number Of other fighting
and auxiliary vessels is the least that
Will place our country on safe basis
in relation with other world powers"
says the secretary:
The secretary regards the creation
of the reserve fleet as most import
ant development of the year since It
will insure the readiness for war Of
practically every vessel Of military
value.
The report touches s2aringly on
the subject of the eight hour law, re-
citing the experience of the depart
ment during the past year In placing
contracts for ships and winding UP
with the statements: what the ef-
feet will be on the bidding for the
battleships provided for by the last
act is problematical."'
AS to personnel, the, report declares
that the aim Of all naval education
and training is to produce the sea
officer who is to command ships and
fleets and that all the combatant ele.
ments aboard ships should belong to}
the line. Line officers hereafter
should perform the duties of pay
master and while the present con-
struction corps made up of Naval
Academy graduates may continue to
do special work, the younger officers
may hereafter perform both line and
duty. w..
The abandonment of the turbine
engine in favor Of the old 'recipro-
eating type is declared to have fol
lowed an exhaustive comparison OF
the two kinds of machinery. it was
found that the reejprocating engine
Is about 80 per cent more economical
at cruising speeds than the turbine,
and of about the same economy 1T
high speeds. AS one result Of the
lse Of oil burners instead of coal
furnaces the new Datt1eships Okla
1oma and Nevada will each have but
me smoke pipe, thus clearing the up
ger deck and improving the arc Of
rain of the turrets.
At the close of last year 20 ships, |
rom battleships to GOLFERS were
led up at Navy Yards under repair.
As result of the new policy, by
lext March every one Of them Will
,e ready for active service.
The secretary regards it as a waste
f money to endeavor to improve old
hips and bring them up to date and
le cited a case of the New York,
low the Saratoga, where 81 per cent
# her original cost was spent on al
erat.pns without making the ship
qual in value to modern vessel Of
ight type.
The report dwells at some length
pom the successful results attained
q the experimental work for the de-
elopment of aviation in the navy
nd especially in the direction of the
reduction of aeroplanes fitted for
Sc from shipboard. It is the pur.
ose to issue a few of these ma.