The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1914-03-27
WOULD USE NAVY
TO CARRY MAILS
Senator Weeks of Massachusetts Has a
Plan To Make Cruisers
Useful

Washington, D. C. March p. Senator
John w. Weeks of Massachusetts, yes
terday submitted resolution in the
Senate calling on the secretary of the
navy for report on the cost and gen.
eral feasibility of plan of converting
certain swift cruisers in the navy into
commercial carriers without impairing
their naval value or efficiency. The plan
contemplates having the cruisers Bir-
mingham, Chester, Salem, Columbia and
Minneapolis made available for carry
ing mail, passengers and freight between
New York, New Orleans, and Valparaiso
and intermediate points.
Senator Weeks asked that his resolu-
tion be passed without reference to a
committee, but Senator Swanson of Yir-
ginia asked that the resolution 90 to
the naval affairs committee for inyes-
tigation and report, which was agreed
to,
In submitting the resolution, Senator
Weeks made q brief statement of its
purpose, as follows
Senator Explains His Plan.
"At the present time South American
mails are sent at long and sometimes
irregular intervals, and all American
mails south of the equator are carried
in vessels sailing under a foreign flag.
1t is the purpose of this resolution to
call for the information which it is be-
lieved win justify in using fast cruisers
of the navy as mail line to Valparaiso
via the Panama canal.
"These ships are of two types-the
second class cruisers Columbia and Min
neapolis, carrying light batteries hav-
ing a trial speed of about % knots, and
the scout cruisers Birmingham. Chester
and Salem, without substantial batter
les, having a trial speed ranging from
241a to 261s knots an hour.
"These vessels, especially the three
scout cruisers, are not built for fight
ing purposes, but are, in the time OF
war, the eyes of the feet, furnishing in
formation which their great speed viii
enable them to do. In time of peace
they are not useful ships because they
have not the guns which would make
them available for training purposes.
"At this time our mail service to Bra
I'll, Argentina and Uruguay is carried
by the Lamport & Holt line, which
itldkeS regular llOHi NbW lbikt
or by other steamers which are tenn.
porarily available for that purpose
most of the mail being carried by the
Lamport & Holt line--the other ships
used in this service being those of the
Prince, Norton, Barber and American
Rio Plata lines. Many of these COM
panies are subsidiary to the English
Royal Mail line, and it is believed that
the Lsmport & Holt line is controlled
by that company.
"0ur mails to the west coast, after
reaching the isthmus, are forwarded to
their destination by a weekly service
under the terms arranged for universal
postal convention. At present some
mails for the Argentine and Uruguay
are sent by this route, but the service
is very slow and this, it may be easily
assumed, initiates against the develop
ment of our trade with South America
1t takes at the present time seven days
to carry the mail to the isthmus and
from % to "a days to deliver it at Val
the shortest time being at least
% days, and a proportional time to
Ecuador, which is 900 miles
south of Panama; and Callao, Peru,
which is 400 miles south of Panama
is required.