New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-12-19

Navy department nav -
bad case Of Iockjaw' because OF the
eonorifc silence emanating from the
White House on all these ques'lo"s'
snapped Mr.. Gardner.
"if YOU gentlemen had permitted me
N nresent as witnesses a few recently
retired officers in a single day the coun-
trv would have learned OF our dement,,
ed policy of building warships Tor colo
storage because we are too mean 10
yoto them crews. Out OF our thirty
completed battleships do you know tnat
twelve Of them are unavailable, without
long delav. on account of our refusaI
IN nav the bill for manning them but
The worst of it is that we can't get
these battleships out OF colo storage
when we want them.
"If we had gone TO war with the RESI-
of the first class powers early In Au-
gust do you realize that no less thsh
nine of our battleships would not yet
he ready to fight? Three Of our battle
ships are in reserve six are IN 'oroi-
nary and three are out OF commis-
eion, furthermore, we have 10 cruis-
ers, % destroyers, l8 torpedo boats o
submarines and perhaps IL mlscei,
laneous fighting ships kept in cold
storage with the battleships.
al charge that our navy IS ls,OOO
men short, and, further, shortage OF
10000 men is in sight.
~ am told that some OF you gentle
men want to cut down the enlisted
force of the navy. There is nothing
simpler-just put a few more vessels
out of commission. Why not put them
ali out of commission and depend on
the naval militia in war times TO man
them"
Scout Ships Lacking.
The absence Of scout ships was dis
cussed by Mr.. Gardner, who told the
committee that scout ships were the
ewes Of the navy. The General Board
has recommended thirty-nine such
ships in the last twelve years, and there
are only three. of most Indifferent class,
the Salem, Chester and Birmingham.
"What sort of eyes are theyT asked
Mr.. Hobson. ~,
every poor ones" answered Mr.
Gardner.
"How could they keep the sea ana
make speed in half gale!" asked MI
Hobson. Ia
"They could make speed IN oeau
calm" was the reply, and then MI
Gardner resumed his statement.
"You know that we have fifty-eight
submarines In all, built and building,
GOOD had and indifferent. Admiral
BADGER quotes the General Board as
Gazing TINT we need one hundred sub
marines. Last year Admiral yreeiandi
Told ma that we needed one hundred
suhmarines for harbor defence alone;
Do YOU think we are going to get them
Not unless the people wake up ana
make music. What is the matter WIN
us? We can't seem to manage 10 Het
deliveries even Of the submarines Wh'eh
have been authorized. IL
"The fact is that we have been david
ling. and now comes Secretary Dsnlels
and in a few soothing WORDS recon-
mends submarines 70 tne pal'iy mum
Der Of eight or So"
Shortage of aircraft and shortage
Of long range torpedoes were discusseu
by Mr.. Gardner, and he enoed hls
statement with the following lhiorina-
"Tbe Bureau of Naval Intelligence
of orr own Navy Department showed
the following warshlp tonnage CUM
pleted by July l last:
s51 ,713, and the United States, 76b,lS3.
limited States in Fourth Place.
"Tbe same table showed that the
following warship tonnage would be IN
the possession Of the four nations
here specified when the vessels then
building were completed:
"Great Britain, 2,714,l05; Germany
1.3O6.577; France, S99,9lb, and the
United States, S94,8S9.
"If YOU have any further doubt ABOUT
the relative standing Of the United
States navy, put Captain John Hood on
the stand and ask him TO give you the
confidential tabulation which was pre-
pared in his Office in the Navy Depart
ment." ,,:.,
Mr.. Gardner asserted that the united
States was also lsggard as 10 us ue-
fence programme. lie told the com
mittee, and was corroborated by Mr'
Hobson, that the coast defence lZ-ihch
guns had an effective range OF 1our
miles less than the newest navy guns
of Furopean sea forces. He asserted
that even the powerful 14-inch guns at
panama had a range of $4,000 yards in
comparison with the 2l,OOO yard hring
radius of the newer British and Ger
man major marine artillery.
Zone OF these foreign ships could
stay a mile and a half out of range of
our most powerful fortress artillery
and plunk 'mashie shots right into
our forts" said Mr.. Gardner.
Representative Browning, Of New
Jersey, brought out in the course Of
Mr.. Gardeners testimony that the bat
tleship New York, built at a navy yard,
took a considerable period more than
the usual thirty months allotted TO the
construction of battleship. II was
pointed out, in proof of the frequent
assertion on the part Of one group IN
Congress who favor building war yes
sells at private yards rather than in
government navy yards, that the gov
eminent yards are dilatory in their
construction work. The authorization
for the construction of the New York
was made June "a, 1910. II was not
until September, 1911, that her keel
was laid.
Further, the Characterization of the
New York as a completed battleship
was deprecated by Mr.. Roberts and con-
frmed from Mr.. Gardeners data. 1t
was shown that within a month Of her
commissioning for the Second Mexi-
can war;" as Mr.. Gardner terms last
springs capture of Yer Cruz, the sta
! tistics of the Navy Department showed
the New York as but s5.9 per cent COM
| pleted
Until now she has not had her final
tests and acceptance by the Navy De-