Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-01-05

between the executive and legislative
branches Of the government, in ap-
propriations for the national defence is
the object of a conference arranged
today between Secretaries Garrison
and Daniels of the war and navy de-
partments and the chairmen Of the
Senate and House committees on mill
itary affairs. The conference will be
held tomorrow night at the home of
Secretary Garrison, who suggested the
idea Besides the four chairmen of
the congressional committees, other
Democratic leaders have been invited.
1t is generally expected that an effort
will be made to balance the various
appropriations in conformity with a
general policy for the promotion of the
national defence, plans for which prob
ably will be submitted to President
Wilson for final approval. The vari-
Gus bills for the increases in the reg
ular army will be one of the princiapl
topics for discussion.
Gardeners Proposal
While this conference was being
planned, the House military committee
today heard Rep. Gardner of Massa
chusetts advocate his proposal for
commission of five men to investi-
gate the military preparedness of the
country and the naval sub committee,
wound up its work on the naval ap-
preparation bill which is to submitted
to the full committee Wednesday. The
cIry, cd in
val bill q provision creating the office
of Chief Of Operations. under the sec
rotary of the navy with a four year
tenure of office. and to be held by a
rear admiral. His function would be
to supervise all naval preparations for
war emergencies.
Increase Provided
The subcommittee also provided for
an increase of II commissioned off
GERS in the marine corps and the pro-
motion Of 40 non-c commissioned Off
GERS.
The administration provision to create
a naval reserve, designed ultimately to
produce a reserve of 5000 former men
of the navy, was adopted.
: Lack of cooperation between the navy
department, the Atlantic fleet and Con-
gress. is charged by Rear Admiral Aus
tin NJ. Knight, in charge of the naval
war college, in report dated Newport,
r. J., Dec. 16, and embodied in the re-
Nised record Of naval bill hearings made
public today by the committee. Admiral
Knight was one of the officers who Rep
Hobson of Alabama vainly sought to
1,o aI To 90, fha
tee. His statement was brought out by
kilograms sent by Secretary Daniels to
Admiral might and to Rear Admiral
Fletcher, commanding the Atlantic fleet,
asking whether there is lack of co-ordi-
nation in the administration of the At
1antic fleet and what the naval war COL
1ege says it should accomplish"
Admiral Knights Statement
While Admiral Fletcher reported the
same day from New York that he knew
of no lack Of coordination at the pres
ent time and believed "the present co-or-
dination meets with the war colleges full
approval" Admiral Knight made this
statement:
1.-The war college believes that lack of
coordination does exist in the fleet, be-
tween the navy department and the
fleet, and between the navy department.
the fleet and Congress. The college does
not regard this as new situation, al
though it happens at this moment to be
ly with the fleet, where everything that
can be done is in preparation. and partly
with the administration and chiefly with
Congress, where there already is pending
a bill for council of national defence,
which more than all other agencies COM
bined would make for a coordination of
all government agencies, many of which
lie far outside the fields of the navy and
the navy department.
Admiral Knight cited the diversion
of battleships and torpedo craft to uses
widely different from that for which
they exist, with resulting interruption
of preparation for battle and the
breaking down of efficiency. He said
that this was in many cases the re-
suit of lack of cruisers and gunboats.
Representative Gardner submitted 20
the military committee as series of let
tiers received by himself and Secretary
Garrison during the past two or three
weeks. Mr.. Garrison replying to a
question as to how much the IA inch
guns of foreign navies outranged the
12-inch guns Of this country's coast
defences wrote that foreign guns car
ry at maximum elevation $1,000
yards while our IL inch guns on their
standard carriage carry $4,000 yards,
but could be mounted so as to carry
a similar distance to those Of foreign
guns. 1t would take 10 months to make
the change, but it would not necessi-
tate any change in the fortications.
The increased range Of the 12-inch
guns" wrote the secretary, would be
accomplished by a slight increase IN
the capacity Of the chamber, which the
design Of the gun admits Of. and by
providing slightly lighter projectile
for the extreme range. No change Of
gun carriage is necessary to obtain
this increased range for the 14-inch
guns"
Mr.. Garrison said there were no IA
inch guns now in the coast defence
Of the United States proper, but that
four such guns were now in process Of
construction for installation on the Pa
cific coast. He said that there were
mo guns for a larger size, except the
p6 inch gun destined for the Panama