The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-01-12
Secretary Meyer Tells Naval
Committee of Plans to
Guard Canal
CUBAN PORT TO BE
BIG NAVAL BASE
Pearl Harbor in Hawaii Is
Western Point Selected
to Guard Attack in
That @ arter

! g<NASHINGTON, Jan. 1f---Secretary
Meyer, of the navy department, told
Ifhe house committee on naval affairs
Today that Guantanamo. Cuba, was
| b be fortified to protect the eastern
| Sltrance to the Panama canal, as the
IPe8rl Harbor fortidcations in Hawaii
srotect the western entrance. He said
| shat a recent treaty had been entered
Ilnto between this country and Cuba,
lander which Cuba grants the rights
/ she United States government TO pur-
chase the hill land back of the Guam
sanamo naval station, and in these
khllls this government proposes to
| slace the heaviest Notifications posi-
I5Ie.
Secretary Meyer told the committee
IIhat in his judgment. whatever con-
|Acts this government may have in the
nature would be settled either at the
IFastern or the Western end of the
eastern or the western and Of tho
of the Caribbean sea was essential
He voiced IN making this declaration
the views of the naval strategy board
The secretary was prepared to tell
| che committee what was needed in the
way Of new battleships and OF new
navy construction, but was interrupted
| b. the demand OF the house to get a
|quorun. lie viii continue his testi-
mony Monday, when he will advocate
the construction OF two or three bat
IGeships, through authorization at this
session of congress.
Defense Of Canal.
Without going into details OF the
|strategic plans Of the joint army and
navy board. which has in charge the
fauestion of the defense Of the Pana-
ma canal. Secretary Meyer said that
+tsuantanamo must he retained as the
! base fer the protection Of the eastern
|approach to that waterway. The naval
lsfation there in TO be enlarged so that
~ can AFFORD ample facilities as re-
I pair station. The purpose OF the navy
department IS To put the Guantanamo
base on a par with pc Pearl Har-
Dor station in Hawaii.
Secretary Meyer told the committee
{ that Key West, Florida, was to be
maintained as the naval torpedo base,
and that the CharIest~s1 navy yard
was to be improved To- become the re-
Panama canal and that the protection
pair station for the torpedo feet
General Louis Estepinal. OF Louisi-
ana. a member of the committee. urged
ths advantages of New orleans as the
base f3r possible naval operations. in
the Caribbean Sea- but Secretary
Meyer said that the naval strategists
faa decided on Guantanamo because
81 its control of the entrance from the
ocean.
Ha inIimated that the treaty with
Cuba, under which this country can
fortifv Guantanamo, was Of very re-
cent date and Was rot generally
kn0wn This treaty carries the right
az purchase by the United States gov
eminent, If such purchase has not been
eonsummated already. Of sufficient
properly around Guantanamo 10 meet
the needs Of the government in making
this q Gibraltar for the Gulf Of Next
co.
Makinu Great Guns.
Secretary Meyer also told the COM
nlittee that the great tourteen-inch
guns now used an the hastleships
could be usanufa ctured more cheaply
at the Washington naval arsenal and
gun factory thaa by private contrac-
tors 1T any other government owned
1ad managed nanufactory. The lat
est bid received from private contrac~
tors on the great guns are so much
in excess Of cost 10 the government
that he urged the committee 10 COM
slider the propriety Of having 2u the
Nuas manufactured by the government.
-ttrvs~t ir7r7er4 Representative Ire,
nj pennsylvania, thr secretary would
give no preference AS To the location
of s. thousand foot dry dock TO be built
on the AtIantic coast for the care OF
the battieships, II 9s understood that
he has "a preference for Newport News
Va, because Of the advantages Of the
Hampton Road basin, but Mr. Lee is
advocating League Island, Philadel-
|pfia, and the secretary refused to ex-
uress preference. saying that such
matters should be left TO the commit
tee. and should be decided after con-
sultation with the naval experts wbo
had the matter in charge.