The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-10-05
OUR NAVY WILL LEAD
 HE WORLD IN SPEED, IS DEP AR 'MENT PLAN
Presidents Program, Formed at Conference With Navy
 ocal Includes Biggest and Fastest Battle Cruisers , AfIoat-New Vessels Will Garry Heaviest Guns and
 Rival Speed of Express Trains.

the propelled American battle cruisers will more nearly approach the Jap anese type in armor and armament, but In order to obtain the projected speed of 35 knots. it is believed the displacement of the American battle cruisers will run close to 35, 900 tons.
 May Be Used As Scouts
 The American Navy has no batte cruisers. and is woefully lacking in scout cruisers. Scouts are the eyes of a battleship fleet, and without them any powerful fleet is greatly handicap ped. The recent war game disclosed the urgent need of scouts. The battle cruisers now projected will be able to serve as scouts although that Will not be the primary function Of these units The idea of experts of the navy is that there should be not less than a division of battle cruisers, and that it. Should be attached to the Att 1antic battIeship feet They would be i1ilfzed by the fleet in overriding bat tleshipsi of the enemy endeavoring to escape from or trying to elude the heet, also in scouting to discover the presence of the enemy's fleet. and in attacking vessels Of the greatest power wh enever taken by the superior speed of the battle cruisers
 F The battle cruisers for which pre- Hnninary plans have been proposed for the navy will be dreadnougats in real fly, as they may be- ac1assed as battle ships of superior speed As explain ed by one of the navy experts today, a battle cruiser is a vessel that has just a few less big guns, and just a little lighter arrnor than batt1eshfps, the sacrifices of both of which are com Hpensated for by their great speed. Speed is an clement which the Amer lean Navy lacks It's battleships are as fast as batt1eslips generally around the world, but there is no large vessel in the navy that can now compare
 with the battle cruisers Of England, German and Japan in speed.
 1 While 1t has been agreed that the American Navy to be brought abreast to other navies of first rank must have swift battle cruisers of the type that has proved its effectiveness in the war in Europe. no decision has been reach ed that is ready for announ ncenent. as to the number of additional units of 1 various types to be embraced an the building program of 1916-17 which is to be subnnftted to Congress this win l ter. After the eonference at the White House today Secretary Daniels said that the naval program had not been completed and that he was not ready to make announcement of the increases to be recommended to Con- gress.
 Mr. Daniels intimated, however, thai a building program for the sub marine fotiIIa would be urged that would make possi ble an inner-line of
 defense along both coasts to be main tained by submersib1e operating from bases established at necessary inter va1s on both the Atlantic and Pacific shore lines.
 The Secretary said that recently, when submarines were at the height I of their activity in the European war, the pendulum of public opinion had swung too far in favor of submarines, land that the tendency now would be 1 to swing it too far the other way. The navy plans, he declared would mot make either error. He added that
 the value of submefsi b1es for defense l of the wide reaches of coast line on
 both shores could hardly be overesti
 mated
 Itfs understood that the President
 cautioned Secretary Daniels and Chairman Padgett against making
 premature annohncement as to the
 naval program, explaining that both 1 the army and navy defense program must be subject to alteration until af- 1 ter the Administration had consi dered l the program of reform for the deveI- opmenti of the army and the financial devices to be resorted to by the gov sernment to raise the necessary funds lto pay for the additional appropria-
 tions for national defense. The Pres Secretary Garrison-on the army pro- l grom, which has been in process so1 1 formulation since last summer | '