The Ely miner., 1915-04-30
AMERICAN NAVY
WELL PREPARED
WORK CUG,ilG LAST TWO YEARS
is DETAILED BY SECRETARY
DANIELS.
MORE VESSELS IN SERVICE
There Are 225 Warships Commissioned
and 1o1 Ships in Reserve-Letter
to President Garfield, of Viii
Iiams College, Published.

washington, April 27.-Secretary
| Daniels has made public a letter he
has written to President Garfield, of
| Williams College, detailing the work
| In the navy during the last two years.
| Mr.. Daniels wrote in reply to Mr..
| Garfield's request for material to meet
statements that the United States is
unprepared for military emergencies.
The letter follows:
MY dear President Garfield:
Il am in receipt of your recent IA
vor asking for an authoritative state
ment concerning the present status of
the navy equipment of the United
States, and take pleasure in comply
ing with your request as far as is
compatible.
There are now in active service,
fully commissioned, 225 vessels of all
characters, which. is thirty-six more
than were fully commissioned when
l became secretary. There are also
lO1 vessels of various types, in re.
serve and in ordinary and uncommis-
stoned, capable of rendering service
in war. We have under construction
and authorized n vessels 60 dread
naughts, % destroyers, 3S submarines
and auxiliaries) as compared with
54 vessels 6 dreadnaughts, IA de-
stroyers, % submarines, 3 gunboats
and auxiliaries) which were under
construction on March 1, 1913.
War Munitions Increased.
All the vessels enumerated, those
In 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 it keeps ready. 1t may be said,
however, that within the last two years
the quantity of all has been on hand
and greatly increased. For example.
We have increased the number of
mines, on hand and in process of
manufacture, by 244 per cent. With
reference to torpedoes, the increase
N two years has been 80 per cent. By
The enlargement of the naval powder
factory we shall soon be able to al
most double its former capacity, and
ike enlargement of the torpedo works
and the equipment of a plant to con-
'truct mines will still further increase,
1t decreased cost, the quantity of such |
stock, and the possession of these |
plants In times of emergency will |
enable the department to be in a bet
er state of preparedness as regards
ne supply OF ammunition than ever
before.
Maximum Strength Recruited.
The personnel of the navy is at
present composed of 1855 line, staff
md warrant officers and 53,171 en-
listed men. Increase in the number
II officers is dependent almost en-
lrely upon the output of the naval
cademy, admission to which is re-
tricted by statute. The number of
nlisted men also is restricted, and
he navy today is recruited to the max
mum strength allowed. There are
ow with the colors 5,S24 more men
n Increase of IL per cent-than there
7ere on March l, 1914.
MY professional training as a Jour-
alist has always inclined me to the
onvictfon that any officer, within the
rescribed limits recognized by the
avy, should feel free to express his
pinlor in regard to matters in the
ervice; and there is not an officer
'ho commands ship today who could
would say that his ship, without
within, was not as good as it was
Vo years ago, or that the officers who
it and the crews who man
are not as thoroughly disciplined.
'ber, loyal and efficient as they were
vo years ago, or as they ever have
Gen."