The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-12-29
NEW PENSION BILL
MAY CRIPPLE NAVY
Measures Demand on Reeve
nue. Creates Sentiment
Against Warships.
tSational News Association


WASHINGTON, Dec. oa.-Demo-
cratic plans for governmental economy
and a desire to improve the navy along
the line of auxiliary and secondary
vessels, will result in the refusal OF
congress at this session TO make APP
preparation for the construction OF
more than one ha!tleship. |; is even
possible that battles,lips may be elimi-
mated entirely this year frcm the au-
thorized naval building prosr,m. par
ticularly in view OF the fac. TIA, the
House has passed the Sherwood dol
lar a day" pension bill. which. il is
estimated, will increase the annual
expenses OF the government from SIS
00O, 900 to $4,000 900.
The secretary OF the navy in his
annual report has recommended the
construction of two huge and costly
battleships. At the same time be has
shown the necessity OF having many
additional auxiliaries and accessories
which constitute what is known as
the secondary and defensive navy.
These ;.uXiliaries consist of Golfers, r.
pair ships, ammunition ships. hospital
shops and so forth, while tho defen-
sive types are the scout cruisers. de-
I stroyers and submarines.
Need Small Vessels.
The report of the secretary Of the
navy shows that there is a great de-
ficiency in these secondary vessels as
we'll as a shortage OF men with which
to man the great battleships, but in eff
feet, he purposes to make this de
ficiency greater by urging the con
struction of two more costly battle
ships.
1t is the purpose of congress, at
least so far as the House is concerned
and it is the House which initiates
all of the big appropriation bills-to
accept what the secretary of the navy
says about the necessity for smaller
! craft, and to equip the navy with these
/ rather than to follow his recommends
ton for battleships. Secretary Meyer
they point out, recommends the con
struction of battleships, but makes an
argument for auXiliaries and accessor
les. They intend to take his argu
! ment rather than his recommends
ton, particularly as in doing so they
not only effect an economy, but they
/ believe that they will improve the Ell
ficiency of the naval establishment,
for the reason that the battleships nov
in the navy are ineffective and incapa
bic of doing all that is expected O.
unless they are supplemented with the
secondary ships of smaller construc
| ton.
A Dreadnaught, such as the secre
tary of the navy recommends, is thu
name given to giant battleship which
carries all-big-guns; that is, she re
lies almost exclusively on her mair
batteries to the exclusion of guns o
smaller calibre, although few rapie
! fire guns are carried. Formerly, nav
; al vessels carried what is known a:
! intermediate batteries, but these have
gone out Of style with that sudden
ness which characteriZes navy whims
Cost Of Dreadnaught.
The cost of a Dreadnaught has beer
frequent source of speculation OF
the part of members of congress, a:
the Navy Department, whether inten
tionally or otherwise, has made it al
most impossible to delve into the com
plicated estimates carried mostly il
large totals, to arrive at the figure:
for a particular item. Secretary Mey
err, however, has estimated that the
two Dreadnaughts which he recon
mends will cost in the neighborhool
of $25,000,000, or approximately $12,
100000 each. This is the larges
single item for which the government
appropriates, and it has staggered the
| Democratic economists.
! In consequence, the plan is for the
] construction of smaller craft, particu
larly as their need is pointed out by
the secretary of the navy, and also ir
view of the shortage of men necessar!
to man new ships. In his report the
secretary of the navy publishes an in
teresting table showing the manner iL
which the navy has grown top-heavy