South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-12-18
Representative Tells Naval Af-
fairs Committee That Refusal
Adequately to Man Vessels
Makes u. S. Fleet Unprepared
EIGHTY FIGHTING SHIPS
ARE NOT AVAILABLE
Declares Many Are Out of Com
mission and Would Require
Months to be Prepared for
ServiCe-18,000 Men Short.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1S.-After the
house rules committee had denied
Rep. Gardner "a hearing on his resoIu-
tion to name a commission of inquiry
into the preparedness of the army and
navy for war the naval affairs con-
mittee accorded him the privilege of
making a statement before it.
Rep. Gardner's statement was
peppery argument He said
You have refused TO send for my
witnesses. and you have refused TO let
me question your witnesses.
you object 10 summOning officers
on the retired list and yet they are the
very men you ought TO summon for
they have nothing To gain and nothing
10 lose by their testimony.
If you gentlemen had permitted
me to present as witnesses a few re
Gently retired officers, in single day
he country would have learned of
our demented policy of building war
ships for cold storage, because we
are too mean 10 vote them crews out
Of our 30 completed battleships, do
you know that L of them are un-
available without long delay on ac-
count of our refusal 10 pay the bill
for the manning of them, but the
worst OF il is that we can't get these
pattleships out of cold storage when
we want them.
Many ships Out of Use.
IF we had gone 10 war with
rest OF the first class powers early In
August. do YOU realize that no less
Than nine of our battleships would not
vet be ready To fight2 Asst. Sec'y OF
The Navy Roosevelt testified that it'll
rakes three months TO get a ship in
reserve ready TO fight and that 1t
takes six months for a ship in 'ordin
.try' and one year for a ship out of
commission TO be gotten ready. Three
IF our .battleships are in reserve, six
are in Ordinary and three are out OF
commission Furthermore, we have
10 cruisers, % destrOyers. Is torpedo
oOats. five submarines and perhaps a
dozen miscellaneous lighting ships
kept in cold storage with the battle
ships.
modern navy are not available for
battle in an emergency. Think OF ii. |
md yet you talk about being prepared
ior war.
Il charge that our navy is $4,000 |
enlisted men short. and a further
shortage of 10000 men is in sight. In
support Of my charge / call To witness
he evidence of Asst. Sec'y Roosevelt /
given st your hearing. and the eV1- I
dence of Rear Admiral Charles j. /
Radger. Both Of these men say that
the navy is $4,000 men short. not
counting the sailors needed for ships
now building. Your witness Rear
Admiral Victor Blue. estimates our
navy To he short for war only 33S
enlisted men. Yet the general board. |
which has actually made our war
plans estimates the enlisted force of
the navy as between $4,000 and 90
600 men short for war.
Great Coast Co Protect
It am told that some of YOU gentle I
men want 10 cut down the enlisted
sorce OF the navy. There Is nothing
simpler Just put few more vessels I
out OF commission.
WHY not nut them all out of COM
mission, and depend on the naval mi /
ltia in war time TO man them There
re 1000 naval militia men. If any
attention had been paid TO the general /
boards appeals for our national safe |
~. instead OF only 81 battleships built
and building and authorized. we
should now have a. battleships built. !
building and authorized; instead of
SIS destrovers we should now have 1S1 /
destroyers; but listen 90 this:
"Battleships lie across the great
ocean highways 10 intercept the enc
my's fleet How are they To know
where the enemy's fleet Is bound ? /
Canada is To the north Of us Mexico /
TO the south From the St. CroiN 7
river 20 the Eio Grande our coast is /
3 30OO miles long.
Need Fast Scouts.
'sThe enemv Will surely elude us
unless we have fast scouts to fore
warn our battle fleet. II we had
needed the advice Of the general :
board we should have fleet of fast
scouts today How many DO YOU
think We actually have GOT just
three. and those were authorized over
10 years ago. The general hoard
asks us TO build four this year. hut the
secretary refused to recommend a
single scout.
1--WE have IS submarines. OF all con- /
tiOns-gOOd. bad and indifferent We
need 100 submarines Last year Ad- .
rnirsl Vreeland told us that We need I
cd 100 submarines for harbor defense 4
alone
Clements Dis-cntS.
Commissioner Clements dissenting. !
said.
~ can bat regard the action now I
aiken by the commission as out OF
harmony with spirit and purpose OF
The law. and as taking step that
leads away from the sound principles /
necessary 20 conserve the ends of jus I
tice
AS understand d.. Justification OF |
rates permitted by this decision 10 be ;
increased rests largely upon the need I
81 greater net revenue Co enable car ,
riers TO afford adequate service TO the |
public. ~ these considerations con-
stitute q sufficient basis for wholesale
approval Of a BODY of increased rates