Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-12-22
DEWEY BOARD
(CoatinLed from Page One>

ont navy is lot sufficient 70 give due
weight to the diplomatic circumstances
Of Tie United states in peace nor to ell
force its policies in war.
The report lays stress upon the
lJuard : proposal that en- Of the l6
new ships four super dreadnauShts
and three battle cruisers. he authorlz-
cd IN 1915. Secretary Daniels has rec
cr-meEGed to Congress. however. that
only two drea dnauchts and two pat
tx, cruisers be authorized at this time.
Under the boards plan the total eN-
penditure for the FIVE wears. lnclpulllS
s. 0ue 900 Tor The aviation service anu
81 900 COS for reserve ammunition ana
material. would be s4a9 Sc 900, the last
AUTHORIZATIONS for which would ne
made in 1922: the seCretarys recon
,,andattons call for q total expenditure
of 500 49, 214 the last appropriations
shown being for 1921 and increases pc
ing made over the boards estimates
for suhna rines and reserve ammunl-
ton. The board program contemplatts
the bLildine Of Is feet auXIiIarleS WINE
III. secretary recommends only SIX
ne DO1TE mighty tpliiiiiNIiA'T 'A'N -
posal to establish a continuing bulid-
Inc policy for the navy. saying 1t VIII
sta balize the warship building indus
Irv in the country and tend 10 reduce
contract prices for new ships
The board reviews the course 81 the
European war so far as il involved ma
val actions to reach this concluslon'
AS to types of ships. the battleshlp
is still the principal reliance OF naNies,
as il mas been in the past
Because of the great naval superb
ority Of the Entente allies, the report
saws, their control of the seas has neV-
er been seriously challenged and the!
have securely held the objective OF all
ma val effort Naval warfare has been
confined. by reason Of this superiority
. il states to "a double series q minor
incidents" In the first group II r1ceS
German commerce raiders which nav
finally been destroyed or driven from
the seas by systematic pursuit ana
in the second. the activities of German
submarines. first against allied war
ships. where the high score obtain
ed is asserted to have been due to
!
blatant superiority and second,
against commercial vessels of the al
lies. OF this campaign the report says:
After six months Of war the sub
marine form of attack drew renewed
attention by its direction against nos
tile commerce. American pubic atten-
ton was redoubled toward this side OF
the war owing to the humanitarian
interests involved, and to the diplo-
matte questions which were raised
thereby. To hastily formed public opin-
| ion. it seemed that submarines were
accomplishing great military results
because little else of importance &C.
CURED in the maritime war to attract
public attention. Yet at the present
time, when the allies have learned in
great measure how to protect their
commerce, as they learned few
months previously to protect their ma
vies from the submarine menace, it is
apparent that the submarine is not
an instrument fitted TO dominate naval
warfare. 1t appears from British re-
turns that the first eight months of
his submarine warfare against Brit
ish commerce resulted in the loss of
lS3 merchant vessels and 17o trawle-s.
The total British. merchant tonnage
lost was not greatly in excess of one
half million: the total loss under all
flags was about $4,000 tons. In the
same time the total arrivals and de-
partures in British ports averaged
from $50 to 400 per week, or nearly
80 600 in all. Allied commerce is con-
81 under in, vital
THE submarine is a most useful
auxiliary, whose Importance will no
doubt increase, but at present there is