Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1912-12-13
OUR NAVY, THOUGH
THIRD, IS THE BEST
So Claims U. S. Naval Depart.
ment in Report Just
Issued.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13.-Accord-
ing to a report just issued by the
navy department the United States
has what is perhaps the most power
full navy in the world. This statement
is made notwithstanding the fact
that the United States ranks third in
the list Of nations. 1t costs approx
imately $130,000,000 a year for the
upkeep of our naval force and its
necessary expansion. OF this sum
about s10O,000,0oO annually is appro-
priated by Congress for its mainte-
nance.
This huge sum of money is spent
under the direction OF the secretary
of the navy. 1t supports about 1900
men of the naval branch and s,521
marines.
Secretary Mayer estimates that If
Congress will follow his recommends
tions. which are the recommendation
of naval authorities, in ten years the
United States will have forty first
class battleships, forty cruisers and
12o torpedo destroyers. The cost Of
building these vessels would be hum
dreds of millions It is urged
that If this plan be adopted by Con-
gress only twenty-one ebattleships
would be kept in active commission
and the remaining ones on reserve.
Four or five scout cruisers would be
held in the active line and about
eighteen torpedo destroyers.
Admiral Dewey's Plan.
Admiral Dewey, who is nominalIy
head of the navy, takes issue with
the head Of the navy and says that
1t is necessary not only to increase
the number of battleships and other
vessels, but that it is essential to in
crease the number of men in this
branch Of the military service of the
United States. He desires Congress
to appropriate annually for period
OF ten years one hundred million dol
lars a year for the construction of
new ships and the destruction of old
and wornout vessels.
| This includes every kind of war ves-
sell with an estimate of the number
OF men needed by Uncle Sam each
year after the plan shall have been
|
plan be adopted by Congress it will
greatly increase the number of en-
listed men in the navy, as well as
| officers, and place in commission
more than 40 new battleships, 50
cruisers, 100 torpedo boat destroyers,
80 torpedo boats and fleet of 70 sub
marines. 1t will increase the force of
men from 1880 to 100000. The esti-
| mate says that should the plan be
approved by Congress and carried
out within ten years the United
States will rank second to Great
Britain as a naval power.
American Gnnners Supreme.
Although the United States now
leads the world in naval construction
with its projected 10000 ton battle
ship, only twenty-eight years ago
this nation did not have a single
armored seagoing warship. Secre-
tary Meyers report shows that ii
costs little more now to build a
s6.000-ton battleship such as the
Arkansas and Florida than it cost
to construct the 20.0O0-ton battleship
Of the Delaware type. The Vermont,
| 0nOSH hCCf Was ihld III lSU3, anu
which has displacement of 5000
tons, cost a quarter of million dol
lars more than the Utah, of $4,000
tons displacement.
Navy officials believe that battles
in the future will be fought at long
range and that the issues will be
determined largely by the effective
ness of guns at a distance of seven
miles or more. In this particular the
American naval gunner has the adj
vantage of those Of any other coun-
try. Records complied by the navy
department in comparison to Others
secured from foreign nations show
that American gunners are more ac-
curate than those of other countries.