New Britain herald., 1915-12-22
NAVY SHOULD EQUAL
 THE MOST POWERFUL
Navy General Board Would Grad
 ually Increase It

l
 can navy should be equal to the most
 powerful maintained by any other 1 nation of the world" not later than 1925 in the opinion of the Navy Gen.
 eral Board headed by Admiral Dewey. ] The annual report of the board, made
 public last night, discloses that this l naval policy was formulated by tile 1 body in July last in answer to the ! following propositions propounded by | Secretary Daniels when the Adminis- tration reached it's decision to enter
 upon a campaign of national prepared ness:
 What the Navy must be in the future in order to stand upon an equality with the most efficient and
 most practically serviceable."
 Must Equal Best.
 The boards conclusions follow:
 ''The Navy of the United States should
 ultimately be equal to the most power full maintained by any other nation of the world. It should be gradually
 
 of development year by year, as may be permitted by the facilities of the country, but the limit above defined should be attained not later than 1925"
 At the same time the board pre- sented building program for 1917 ill compliance with the Secretary's re- quest for "a program formulated in the most definite terms planned for a consistent and progressive develop ment of this great defensive arm of tho nation"
 Details of the boards reply are not revealed, as subsequently in October of this year, the Secretary asked the board to prepare "a building program for the Navy that will continue over a period of five years with an expen- allure of about $1O0, 100000 each year for five years on new construc- tion only" The Administration plan for the construction of sixteen capital ships within five years is founded on the boards answer. , At the same time the board again developed it's idea of the place the American navy should hold in the world in the following language:
 To Perfect Commerce.
 The General Board believes that | the course of the present war in Eur ] ope affords convincing reasons for 1 m odifying the opinion that it has ex- pressed for the past II years as to the proper siege of the Navy. A navy In firm control of the seas from the outbreak of the war is the prime es- sential to the defense of a country situated as\is the United States bor- dering upon two great oceans. navy strong enough only to defend ] our coast from actual invasion will l not suffice. Defense from invasion 1 is not the only function of the Navy. | It must protect our sea-borne com merce and drive that of the enemy ] from the sea. The best way to ac- complish all these objects is to find and defeat the hostile fleet or any of it's attachments at a distance from 1 our coast sufficiently great to prevent 1 of our normal course of national life. The current war has shown that navy of the size recom- mended by this board in previous years can no longer be considered as adequate to the defensive needs of the United States. Our present Navy Is l not sufficient to give due weight to ! United States in peace nor to enforce its politics in war"
 The report lays stress upon the that seven of the sixteen new ships, four superdrea dnaughts and three battle cruisers, be authorized in 1916. Secretary Daniels has recom- nended to Congress, however, that only two dreadnaughts and two battle cruisers be auth orized at this time. Under the boards plan the total ex- penditure for the five years including s7,000,O00 for the aviation service and $11 ,000,0 900 for reserve ammunition and material would be $499,s7s.0O0, the last appropriations for which would be made in 1922; the Secretary's call for total ex- penditure of $502,4s2,214, the last appropriations shown being for 1921, and increases being made over the boards estimates for submarines and 1 reserve ammunition. The board pro-I gram contemplates the building of thirteen fleet auxiliaries while the sec 1 retary recommends only six. t1
 Continual Building.
 The board highly comments the 1 proposal to establish continuing l