Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1914-12-24
IN SHIPS,
MEN AND SUPPLIES
A. p. GARDNER
Advocate of Greater Defense
Measures Makes Startling
Statements to Naval Com
mittee of Congress.
HE URGES INSTANT ACTION
Says Even Adoption of General
Boards Proposal Would
Have Left Navy Ranking
Poor Third In 1920.
HE URGES INSTANT ACTION

Washington, D.. c.. Dec. 19.-Repre-
sentative Gardner was the principal
witness today before the House naval
committee. He read a long statement
in support of his proposal for investi-
cation of the national defenses by a
special commission.
Il am here to ask o to appropriate
for the full number of new ships, rec
commended by the general naval board
for this years construction" he said.
Il am sorry to say that Secretary
Daniels in his recommendations to
congress has cut the naval boards
building program for this year almost
exactly in two.
IT you gentlemen had permitted me
to present as witnesses a few recently
retired officers, in a single day the
country would have learned of our de-
mented policy of building warships
for cold storage. Out of 30 completed
battleships, do you know that IL OF
them are unavailable without a long
delay on account of Ii refusal to pay
the bills for manning them?
Few Ships Prepared.
If we had gone to war with the rest
of the first class powers early in Aug
ust do YOU realize that no less than
nine of our battleships would not have
! Deefl ready 10 IlSnt!
w have Is cruisers. 90 d~estroyers
{, is torpedo boats, five submarines and
perhaps a dozen miscellaneous fighting
ships kept in cold storage with the bat
tleships. Eighty fighting vessels of oul
modest navy are not available for bat
tie in an emergency.
Il charge that our navy is Is, 900 mer
short and a further shortage of 40, OO(
men is in sight. The general board
which has actually made our war plans
estimates the enlisted force of the navy
as betweent $4,000 n so, 900 men shor.
for war. If any attention had beer
paid to the general boards emphatic
appeals for our national safety. in
stead of only 81 battleships built ant
building and authorized, we SHOULD
now have AZ battleships. built. build.
ing and authorized; instead of 81 de.
stroyers we should now have 1877 de.
S%troyers.
IF we needed the advice of the gen
eral board we SHOULD have a fleet o.
fast scouts today. How many do yor
think we actually nave got? lust three
and those were authorized over Il
years ago.
You know that he have Sc sum
marines in all, built and building. good
bad n Indifferent. Now comes Sec.
rotary Daniels and in a few soothing
words. recommends submarines to the
paltry number of eight or so.
Not Equal To Germany.
w have just a dozen aeroplanes il
the navy. Last year the aeroplane
board recommended an appropriation
81, 800. 900. Instead of that sum. ac.
cording to Captain Bristol, we let the
aviation service spend only $780, 900 o.
$4o0, 600. The general naval board in it:
current report says that we must spent
So, 100000 on aircraft. Secretary Daniel.
recommends no regular specific APP.
preparation at all. but he tells us abou
a volunteer aircraft force. Captain
Bristol says that that volunteer tore
does not amour to Hannah Cook.
Rear Admiral Straus tells us tina
all battleships in commission now O
which will be in comission before tn,
Nevada and the Oklahoma are complet
ed are equipped with q short range tor
pedo which may be considered obso
lete for the battle fleet"
Some persons have quoted Rear Ad
miral Fletcher as saying the American
navy ranks ahead of that of Germany
! have searched the admiral's evidenc,
and find that he said nothing of tn,
sort. I don't believe that any we'll in
formed man believes our fleet to be su
perior to shat of Germany. A year ag,
Read Admiral G. =. Vreeland t~estifie,
Pthat we are third in the race, an,
moreover, that we are a pretty ba,
third, for he said hat we should still
be third in 1920, even il we adopted tn
building program of the general board.