Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1915-04-29
AMERICAN NAVY
WELL PREPARED
WORK DURING LAST TWO YEARS
Is DETAILED Nv SECRETARY
DANIELS.
MORE VESSELS IN SERVICE
Thsrs Are 225 Warships comnlssio
and 1of Ships In Reserve--Letter
% President Garfield, Of VIII
Iiams College, PublIshed.

washington, April 27.-~Secretary
Daniels has made public q letter he
has written to President Garfield, Of
Williams College. detailing the work
II the navy during the last two years.
Mr.. Daniels wrote In reply to Mr..
Garleld's request for material to meet
statements that the United States Ii
unprepared for military emergencies.
The letter follows:
my dear President Garfield:
= am In receipt Of your recent 10,
vor asking for an authoritative state.
ment concerning the present status Of
the navy equipment OF the United
Gtates, and take pleasure In comply.
ing with your request % far % ID
compatible.
There ara now Ii active service,
fully commissioned. 225 vessels or al
characters. which Ii thirty-six more
than were fully commissioned when
! became secretary. There are also
101 vessels OF various types. lii 70.
serve and Id ordinary and nncommis.
STONED, capable Of rendering service
III war, We have under construction
and authorized n vessels 60 dread.
naughts. rs destroyers, 3S submarines
md I auxiliariesl a. compared with
81 vessels ca dreadnaughts. II de-
stroyers, 23 submarines, gunboats
and = anxiliaries) which were under
construction on March l. 1918.
War Muntttona incres sad.
All the vessels enumerated, those
h active service and those In reserve.
are supplied with munitions OF war.
No navy makes public the quantity Of
ammunition and torpedoes. mines and
other implements Of naval warfare
which II keeps ready. II may be said.
however. that within the last two years
the quantity OF all has been on hand
and greatly increased. For example.
Ne have increased tho number OF
mines. on hand and In process Of
manufacture. by 244 per cent. With
references to torpedoes, the Increase
III two years has been 30 per cent. by
the enlargement or the naval powder
factory We shall soon be able To al.
most double its former capacity. and
like enlargement OF the torpedo works
and the equipment OF plant to con-
strsct mines will still further increase.
ri decreased cost, the quantity OF such
stock. and the possession OF thess
plants In times OF emergency will
enable the department to be- In bet.
tor state III preparedness as regards
the supply Of ammunition than ever
before.
Maximum Strength Recruited.
THE personnel OF the navy la al
present composed of 1856 line. stan
and warrant officers and 53.17l en-.
listed men. Increase In the number
oe officers il dependent almost en-.
tirely upon the output OF the naval
academy, admission to which is re.
stricted by statute. The number OF
enlisted men also la restricted, and
the navy today is recruited to the max.
imum strength allowed. There are
now with the colors b,S24 more merr--
m Increase OF 10 per cent---than there
were on March |, 1914.
My professional training as a jour.
nAlist has always inclined me to the
conviction that any officer. within the
prescribed limits recognized by the
navy, should feel free to express his
opinion In regard to matters In the
service: and there Ii not an officer
who commands ship today who could
or would say that his ship. without
or within, was not AZ good as 1t was
TWO years ago. or that the officers who
command II and the crews who man
Il are not as thoroughly disciplined,
sober. loyal and efficient as they were
Two years ago. or as they ever have
been