Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1915-09-07
PLANS UNDER WAY
TO INCREASE NAVY
President Wilson Seems to Favor
the Move.
GREAT NEED OF SUBMARINES.
As Result Of National Defense Con-
ferences.Itis Likely the Navy De-
partment VIII Make An Effort
to Get Battleships and
Undersea Craft.

Significance is attached 10 a state
ment made by very high official that
the naval construction program win not
be definitely determined until late in
October. He declared that by that time
probably the United States government
would know approximately what would
he the remaining strength in Europe
against which the United States Navy
in the future would have TO be match
ed in case of war
differences from these statements 10y
other officials are that the inside sour
ces of the Administration believe that
the European war will be over by the
end of October, or that the end will be
very near at hand The result of con
ferences which have been held within
the past two days on defense plans in
dicate that there viii be a eoncentra-
tion of the efforts of the Navy Depart
ment TO get battleships and submarines
Among those who have taken part in
Ethese conferences are Admiral Badger.
chairman of the executive committee OF
the General Board; Admiral Benson.
chief cf operations at the Navy Depart
ment, and also member of the Cen
eral Boar, and other high navy officers
whose advice President Wilson has
asked. II can be stated on the author
ity of one of the conferees that navy
officers do not understand President
Wilson to be urging a navy second to
none" which would mean equal to the
navy of Great Britain.
They understand the President to
mean a powerful well balanced" navy
hich will make a successful attack on
the United States navy by any power
improbable and certainly unsuccessful.
One of the conferees said that if the
Navy Department We're to construe the
President as meaning that the United
States Navy should be second to none
it would necessitate the building OF
thirty deradnaughts in short order even
on the basis of the relative strength OF
Great Britain and the United States at
the opening of the war.
The best reports from England show
that she had in 1914 sixty dreadnaughts
and pre-dreadnaughts. The best esti-
mate available fighting ships in the
United States Navy at the same period
was thirty dreednaughts and dread
naughts. The difference is thirty, and
to build thirty dreadnaughts merely for
the sake of catching up with England
would mean an appropriation for bat
tleships alone of at least $450 900 600.
The members of the General Board, of
which Admiral Dewey is president, and
the members of the Advisory Board,
are unanimous on the preservation of
the superdreadnaught as the basis for
the next construction program The
new factor in order is the submarine.
High ranking officers are in favor OF
expended $75,000,000 on battleships and
about $50,00,000 on submarines at
$500, 900 each. The expenditure of $50,
100000 would not necessarily be inn
mediate and in a lump. These opinions
of experts are based on the growing
belief that there should be a big de
finite annual battleship and submarine
construction progress. They say that
Germany began twenty years ago, and
mapped out building program per-
fectable in 1920. This, however. cid not
prevent her emergency building, such
as is now going on and which is un-
derstood to have been carried on,espec-
ialy as to submarines, one or two years
before the outbreak 0f the war