The Washington herald., 1913-12-01

employment of young men as religious
leaders and welfare workers on board
each ship: and opening of the doors to
the higher grades in the navy for the
benefit of the enlisted men.
Mr.. Daniels urges legislation which will
make 1t possible for the United States
to follow the policy laid out for Great
Britain by Winston Churchill; that Is,
ito refine its own oil from its own oil
wells and thus relieve itself Of the neces
sity OF purchasing what seems fair to
become the principal fuel of the navy
in the future at exorbitant and ever
increasing prices from the private COM
panies that now completely control the
supply"
... Superiority of OIL.
1T is sufficient to point out at this
time" says Mr. Daniels. "that the su-
periority of oil over coal for naval pur-
poses already has been demonstrated and
is no longer a matter CT experiment;
that Great Britain is equipping her navy
with oil-burning vessels of the first
class; that the English government al
ready. is spending 4 total OF s,S71.75O in
the erection OF enormous oil tanks; that
In addition the scantily yielding oil
shales of Scotland are to be preserved
for the use of the navy and that in Mex
leo and elsewhere English firms are
| reaching out for oil fields from which
| to supply the demands of the English
navy. On the other hand, the price of oil
is creeping steadily upward, so that to-
day the United States Navy is paying
over twice as much for its oil as 1t did in
| 1911.
THE only relief from what will be a
staggering item in the expense account
| of the navy in the future is in the con-
troll OF oil wells and refining its own oil
by the Navy Department"
The Secretary adds:
IF England. geographically handi-
capped, and with no large sources Of
supply within her own borders, has con-
| cluded that this is the wise and economic
policy. how can the United States, with
bounteous flowing oil wells in govern
| ment lands already existing, and with
| fields near to both the east and west
coast, escape the charge OF wilful waste
OF public money II II continues to pur-
| chase oil at prices which may fatten the
pockets of a few oil companies, but
payer? With only a portion of our fleet
equipped to burn oil, the navy uses this
year 10000 gallons. There is every
likelihood that this amount will be in
creased to 125.0Oo.Oo0 gallons in the fu-
ture.
THE United States Navy has the
enormous advantage enjoyed by no other
nation. in that great oil fields exist in
our country close TO the Atlantic Ocean,
Gulf OF Mexico, and Pacific Ocean, so
that the supply of oil is assured. By
the time the Panama Canal is opened and
the fleet begins freduenting the Pacific.
the navy should be producing its own oil
from the navy petroleum reserves in the
Elk Hills and Buena Vista fields OF Cali
fornia, and its refinery should be in ope-
ration. Prompt steps should be taken
also to lease oil lands in the mid-conti-
nent fields and to erect a refinery for
the supply OF oiI-burning vessels on the
Atlantic Coast"
OF the trusts" Mr.. Daniels says: The
time has come when the department
should be free from excessive prices
charged by private manufacturers OF
armor plate, guns, and gun forgings.
powder, torpedoes. and other supplies
and munitions. Most of THOSE neces-
saries for the navy are made by a very
few manufacturers, and prices
charged are so much too h. that
earnestly recommend that apprU, ,riations
be made for an armor-plate factory and
an increase in the gun factory, the pow
der factory, and the torpedo works. The
ability to make part OF the powder used
department is forced to buy a large
quantity from the powder trust at an
exorbitant price. 1t has been demon