The Washington times., 1914-12-18
COLD STORAGE NAVY
ASSERTS GARDNER
Massachusetts Congressman
Makes Startling Statements
to Naval Committee.
Continued from First Pagel

'~O44NlllAtu II VII IaGel
most exactly in two Moreover.
some of you gentlemen will take a
further hack at il as your nerve
holds out strong. as I have no doubt
that It will, and IL you are not out
voted.
You have refused TO send for my
witnesses. and you have refused to
let me question your witnesses.
You object TO summonlng Officers
on the retired list, and yet they are
the very men whom you ought m
summon, for they have nothiDy IN
gain and nothing TO lose by their
testimony.
II you gentlemen had permitted
me TO present A. witnesses a faU
recently retired officers. in a single
oav the country would have la.rr...g
Of our demcnted policy of bniIdir,-
WaIShips for cold storage. - bar;,I1sa
We are too moan to vote them crews
out Of our thirty cOmDIc.rl battle
ships, do you know that twelve ~
then arc unavailable without "a lon.
delay on account Of our refusal 10
pay the bill for manning them
Can't Get Them Out.
But the worst Of it is that We cant
get these battlcships out of .coid
storage" when We want them
Ass slant Secretary Of the NAVY
Roosevelt testified Wednesday that
II takes three months TO get a sin
IL reserve ready to fight. and that
II takes six months for a ship in
Ordinary, and one year for a shin
out Of com .ISSiOn'' TO be got ready.
Three Of our battleships are in re
serve SIX are in 20. binary" and
three are out OF comm SSIon'' Fur
jhermore, we have Is cruisers. p do
Stroyors, l. torpedo boats. subma-
rines and perhaps a dozen misCellan-
eous fighting ships kept in cold
stora 60 with The battlesnipS
Eighty fighting vessels Of our
modest NAVY not available for battle
in an emergency. Think Of II. and
vet YOU talk about beng prepared
for war.
/ charge that our navy IS 1900 en-
listed men short and 4 further short
age Of 900 men is i'm sight. In sup
port OF my charge, 7 call TO witness
the evidence Of Assistant Secretary
Of the Navy Franklin .. Roosevelt.
given a. your hearing OF December
is. 1914 and ! also cite the ev' dence
OF Rear Admiral Charles J Badger
Both OF these men say that the navy
Is iHUrp men snort. not counting the
sailors needed for ships now build
ing.
Should Have Forty-Seven.
II any attention had been paid to
the general boards emphatic ap-
peals Tor our national safety instead
Of only thirty-seven batfleships built,
and building. and authorized. We
should now have fOTty-scven battle
ship. built, build ug and authorized;
instead OF siXty-eiGht destroyers, We
should now have - destroy,rs. But
listen 20 this:
BatUcsl,ips lie across the great
ocean highways to intercept the
en'uy's feet How arc they 10 know
whCg" the enemy's fleet j. bOuBd2
Canada IS 10 the north o. US. Mexico
to tn south From tho St. ErulN
river 10 the Rio GraudS our coast -
5000 miles long The enemy viii
sureiv .iuGe Es unless We have fast
Ecou'z - TprcWsrn our battlefield. II
We had needed ting advice OF the
general beard, We should have q
feet OF fast scouts TO-DAY. How
many 10 you think we actually have
got Just three. and those w.-e
authorized over ten years ago. Tho
general board asks Us TO build tor
this year. but the Secretary has re-
fused TO recommend a single scout.
Shortage of Aircraft.