Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1915-10-14
President Wilson and Secretary
Daniels Agreed on Five.Year
Building Program Which Will
Double Size of Fleet.
COST s248,000,0OO FIRST YEAR
Is to 20 Dreadnaughts with
Submarines, Cruisers, De-
stroyers, ETC., and an Added
Personnel of Thousands of
Men Will Be Recommended.

| washington, Oct. 12-Fifteen to 20 fight.
ing ships Of the dreadnought and battle
cruiser type with a proportionate num-
Der of seagoing submarines, coast sub
marines, scout cruisers. destroyers ana
auxiliaries-enough to make a new Amer
lean fleets contemplated by Secretary
Daniels for recommendation as five
year building program for the United
States navy.
President Wilson ard Secretary Daniels
have discussed Informally the needs of
the navy and are agreed that in order "a
! be prepared adequat ely for defense the
present strength of the fleet must be al
most doubled in the next five yea-a with
the addition Of many of the latest type
of fast an powerful fighting craft
Details as to numbers have not yet be IN
finally worked out but the idea of flxing
ratio for continuing program over
| n period of five years Is the basic prln-
| ofple under which the general hoatl of
| the navy and Secretary Daniels now are
planning their recommendations. Another
conference between the President and the
secretary Will be held Friday at which
the total number probably will be fixed.
The fve-y"ar naval program when
completed would add in addition 70 dread
naughts and battle cruisers nearly a
hundred submarines about seventy de-
stroyers and several scout cruisers and
proportionate number Of fue. and hos
pital ships.
An important part Of the program, too
will be a proposal for a large increase
In personnel Appropriations for at least
500 additional men will be asked for tho
first year to make up present deficiencies,
and an adequate number Will be sought
TO man the new ships built in the five
year period.
The total cost of the proposed program
for the first year, according to present
plans. is estimated at nearly s2+S ca, 90
Just what construction should be pro-
vided for the first year has not been de-
termined. AS to the approximate number
of ships the feet should have at the end
of five years however. officers of the gen.
era board and secretary Daniels are un-
derstood to he in thorough accord.
It Is considered probable that the con-
structon program for the first year will
exceed that of succeeding years in order
that urgent deficiencies may be filled
promptly ne general DoaTu mas neen
consistently recommending four battle
ships q year but last year Congress pro-
vided only two in the regular program,
although the building of a third dread
nouEht was made possible by the sale Of
the battleships Mississippi and Idaho to
Greece. The previous year only one bat
tleship was granted. The general board 5
original plan of having n fleet OF As first
class hattleships by 1920 consequently has
suffered materially.
1t Is understood that after studying
the naval program carefully President
Wilson intends to discuss it in his annual
message. and to make OF It an admins
tration measure.
The building program last year pro-
vided for Is submarines that the
total of such craft. built and building.
now is 70. 1t is tho purpose OF the
navy department to recommend at least
go submarines for next year. so as to
furnish an adequate number for defen-
sive purposes. In the next four years,
however. an average of &c submarines
a year would be maintained That would
bring the total to about 10 in five years.
1t is not known as yet what the plans
Of the navy are for the organization of
the new feet, but the general belief in
naval quarters ts that the plan of hav-
ing fleet in the Pacific will figure ma
terially in tho program.