Bisbee daily review., 1915-05-04
MEYER REPORTS THAT NAVY IS DISRUPTED
 AND DISORGANIzED
Former Secretary in Reply to Daniels Review of Present Conditions Says We are Not Prepared for Emergency.

made pubic tonight statement TO l viewing the open letter from Secreta- . ry of the Navy Daniels to President Garfield, of Williams College. concern . ing the present status of the naval . equipment of Ire United States Mir ! Meyer opens with the statement that Secretary Daniels discussion of this subject leaves much to be desired in the way of information The state ment follows
 'The Secretary neglects to state. when he refers to the last two years Of the Taft administration, that the House of Representatives.. which orig mates appropriations, was in control of the Democrats on account of the bye-elections, that they went into eau GUS and voted mo battleships lt was on the issue that no party could afford to caucus on patriotism, placed before ; the people ty some of the leading pa per at my request that we broke the capcus and obtained. very grudgingly, | from the Democrats one battleship for each of the remaining two years.
 The war and the campaign of edu- cation on national defense, has mnu- cnCed Congress in making more ap- propriations, but the third battleship NIr Daniels obtained was made by the | sale oi the Idaho and AIissis sippi to ! Greece. using the funds derived from l this transaction for an additional dreadnaught But the Idaho and Miss issippi were both modern ships built | it. 1914, and while President Wilson's sale was a good business transaction. l will not, apparently, Increase our tonnage It should also be noted that the Indiana. Massachusetts and Ore gon can no longer be included in our tonnage list; that the Iowa, Kearsargc Kentucky and Alabama will reach their age Emit in 1916. while the nli- nois. V Wisconsin. Maine Ohio and Mis- souri are due for replacement by 1920, as bldleships become obsolete tn twenty , ears. It is obvious, therefore. . that a policy pursued according to this years programme Of two battleships with certain auXiliaries no scout crui- sers aEd nc battle cruisers, will lead nowhere il is the real purpose of the nation to have an adequate navy, for we are not even follow ing a program. me of new construction intendd to replace those vessels which have been or will soon be condemned because
 unfit for service on account of age.
 While as the secretary has stated inc navy is today recruited to its max mum strength (which is due to the decreased-demaud for labor i'm various lines of trade throughout the United States) yet the commander-in-chie of the fleet, in @ communication to the Naval Academy gives the opiniul that the fleet lacks in its complete equipment. about 5000 men and a number of officers
 "To put all the ships in commission that could be useful in time of war would require lS.OO0 additional men and many officers, according to Ad- miral Badger in his evidence before Fthe naval committee this winter. and yet, in his letter the Secretary assures he public that the navy in 1915 is larger better equipped and in better condition tban in any previous year. while experts know that this is m- possible since many of the battleships have been retained so long in Mexico that fleet maneuvering. vital for eff ciency, has been terribly hampered and interfered with
 "The naval conflicts of the Europe an war have emphasized the import 4uce of speed, range and armament. The Butcher faster than any of our ! hips va destroyed becaIso sue was slow CT than any of the other ships in the conflict, Yet we are building no fast cruisers or battle cruisers. The Secretary. in his enthusiasm over our 14inch guns which he says will shoot farther. shoot straighter and hit hard CT than any naval gun now in use, oyerlooks the fact that Japan has in commission and building eight naval ships with l4inch guns probably as good as our 14-inch guns and that En- gland has the Queen Elizabeth in couI- mission with 15-inch guns, a battle ship of over 27,OO0 tons, with a speed of % knots and nine other capital ships building with l5inch guns
 'The war demonstrated the need and value of aircraft The General Board recommended the appropriauo of five millions of dollars, but only one-dfth of the amount was obtained
 "In view Of the increasinc number of submarines and the accident In Hawaii. there is urgent necessity for testing and wrecking docks that ma be used for salving submarines or any size. dockins submarines and testing Co determine the resistance to external water pressure Two docks of ths description win be required for the Atlantic and two for the Pacific.
 "Upon the efficiency of the supply ships depends the efficiency of the fleet The Importance of supply ships has also been demonstrated m this var One was authorized in 1913. lt would have been nearly completed by this time if built under contract but lit is to be constructed in one of our navy yards and it has not yet been laid down.
 lkt-ffbot,t arspIe ctfs1 and oil storage