Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1911-12-02
MEYER PLEADS
FOR STRONG NAVY
or NAVN's AENVNL
HEpORr SAYS 4, :. ECsT BE
PREPARED rOR WAR.
STRENGTH IS Diminishing
By Retirement of Obsolete Ship the
Strength Of the Navy II BE-
ing Dcplcatcd.

WASHlNGTON, Dec. with
plea that there shall be no decreas,
In the effective strength OF the Uni.
ted States Navy, George Won l.. Mey-
or, Secretary Of the Navy, in his an
nual report TO Congress, declares tina
while seeking peace and playing q
leading part IN the movement fOl
general arbitration treaties Tho worlt
must understand that America lis
prepared for war"
Tho short life Of warship foI
first or second line Of defense
caused the Secretary to ask for more
ships this year. not 10 increase the
navy, but 10 maintain IL at It's exist
ing strength. This strength, he says,
IL being diminished by hhe elmina-
tie ships first constructed for the
new navy"
"rhe recommendation" ne says,
for II continuing naval policy which
viii give US the fleet desired is made
with n due regard for the almost
worldwide movement for the settle
mont Of international disputes by ar
bitratlon. In which movement our
country has taken foremost part.
History OF all kinds, including the
present, shows the futillty and danger
of trusting 10 the good win and fair
dealing or even to the most solemn
ly binding treaties between nations
for the protection OF a nations SOW
orign rights and interests, and with
out doubt, the time Is remote when
a comparatively unarmed and help
less nation may be reasonably safe
from attack by ambitious. well armed
powers especially I'm a commercial
age, such as the present. The eco
nomical system of great CONNER
cial age nation is so deliberatcl! bal
anccd that even threat of war Is
very disturbing and harmful, while
a war with any other great power
would cause incalculable damage and
II is more necessary now than ever
before that we should be fully pre-
pared and that every other power
0llbhlh hihfl nAhlAh AHdAf Nhllt Efth-
ing peace, we are prepared for war"
The United States, Secretary Meyer
says, is far in the rear Of the lead
ing naval powers in projected naval
construction. even on the basis Of two
new battleships a year,
Mr.. Meyer submits estimates for
two battcships and two coliors on
ly. This is in line with the policy OF
several years standing Of building
two hatteships a year In addition
to this the Secretary indicates that
the navy would welcome one OF the
new type Of battleship cruisers, such
as Great Britain, Germany and Jap
an are building. lie further points
out that there Is a great deficiency in
of cruisers, scouts, destroy
er, submarines and ausIiaries for
the maintenance and protection OF
the battle fleet.
lie suggests that all Of these aux
iliaries need not be ordered at once
but that the appropriation could be
over number Of years,
A'A7A VI NtAAA' 20 III ASIA anu 1fllAl hl
America, nCressitating the protect
ion 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 show the famous ore
gon and her sister hattlehips mdi-
ana and Massachusetts as having
reached the fatal period and should
be replaced Immediately, as well as
the Iowa. In fact Secretary Never
names twelve battlesh,ps that can
no longer be regarded as available
for the first line Of battle and WHICH
should be replaced by 1920. Tside
from those already indicated they
are the Kearsarge, Kentucky, Ala
hama. Illinois. Wisconsin. Maine,
ohio and Missouri The youngest Of
these has turned eleven years.
"A total of forty battleships with