Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1915-09-02
WHAT OUR NAVY NEEDS
FIRST EFFICIENCY
Advisory Board to Aid Scientific
and Inventive Activities.
PERSONNEL AND MATERIAL.
Secretary Daniels in An Interview Says
He Has the Whole Navy Within
His Vision.
From the Washington Sunday Star ]
PART 4.


saysthe first requisite is 100 per cent.
efficiency for personnel and material.
Everyone in a responsible position
keep the good OF the whole navy con
stantly within his vision.
The addition of men munitions and
ships. measures for increasing the eff
ficiency of the enlisted men. develop
ment Of the naval militia. advisory
board to aid scientific and inventive
activities
"The first need OF the American navy.
says Secretary of Navy Daniels. lis 100
per cent. efficiency for our personnel
and our material, and this can be at
tained only by every officer and enlist
ed man keeping himself and everything
intrusted TO him in perfect condition
mean by this that everyone in a re-
sponsible position must keep the good
OF the whole navy constantly within the
range of his vision; he must not allow
his horizon TO be bounded by the limits
OF his immediate command. The cap
tain must look beyond his own ship.
and have mind to the success of the
squadron to which he is attached the
admiral, looking beyond his own feet
must be prepared at any time for a
possible junction with another fleet
"The bureau chief must not allow his
vision to be narrowed to the bounds of
his bureau, but be thinking how to CO.
ordinate il with the other bureaus for
the good of the navy. have confidence
that we are steadily advancing in this
respect all the while. The second re-
quirement of the navy is the addition
of such men. munitions and ships as
may be necessary These additions in
men and material can be obtained only
I by the action of Congress. The Secre-
| tary has no authority to make such
additions, but | will make suitable rec
concentrations in my annual report
The European conflict has confirm
! ed the need of changes advocated by
our experts. Our Congress, which is
responsible to the nation, not only for
carefully conserving the public funds,
but for maintaining navy for the COM
mon defense, will doubtless act with
the same patriotic motives which
prompted the last Congress to provide
for more submarines than the depart
ment had originally recommended, be-
cause subsequent to my report the per-
formance of submarines in European
waters showed the worth of such craft,
especially in harbor and coast defense,
and asked Congress in my hearings to
appropriate as the revenues would per-
nit IL is the duty of my department
TO lay before Congress the needs of the
navy, especially with respect to those
matters which the European conflict
has proven to be of real value. Thus
Congress will be able to deliberate and
act intelligently, and if to my recon-
mehdations we can add that the navy
has maintained itself up to the highest
state of excellence | do not doubt for
an instant that Congress will add what
ever the navy may need
But, since Congress will make ap-
preparations only for what the people
believe to be right, | am always glad to
have published all proper information,
of failures as well as of successes, in
order that thoughtful people may know
our own resources and what they may
possibly be called upon to meet The
people can then make their own de-
ductions as to what additions they
should insist upon having made for
the navy. OF course the more spectac-
uiar things are hydroaeroplanes, fast
ships and submarines. but one must not
forget measures for increasing the eff
cheney of the enlisted men by the Gre
alton of naval reserve, the develop
tnan Of thr, 81.
alton of the advisory board to aid sci
entific and inventive activities"
The hydroplane, which differs from
the ordinary flying machine that. b>
means of pontoons instead of wheels.
il is able to rest upon and to take fight
from the water. has demonstrated its
usefulness. The difficulty of procuring
a machine which will accomplish this.
and be able to make long flights over
machine which will accomplish this.
and be able to make long flights over
the sea with no chance to come to earth
for rest and repair is very great.
In August, 1914. the English navy
possessed some of various designs. 1t
is believed that their number has been
considerably increased, for, it is said,
300 air pilots are now attached to this
service. They have done good scout
ing service, and have made some raids
upon German stations in Belgium
The French and Russians are believed
to have had but few hydroaeroplanes
when the war was declared
The Germans possessed few, if any.
of these machines for their navy, but
their aeroplanes have done fine service
for their fleets, scouting from Kiel to
Helgoland and out upon the North and
the Baltic seas. II is probable that if
Admiral Graf Won Specs feet had pos
sessed one or more of these fliers he
would not have been led into attack
upon the English at the Falklands and
the loss of his entire fleet.
One of the most important things for
the allies is to maintain a safe way to
transport troops and munitions from
England to France, and many have
wondered why the German submarines
did not prevent the sending of these
supplies instead of concentrating their
efforts upon thedestructiono of merchant
and passenger ships. The report indi-
Gates that the great number of French
and English destroyers and swift crnis-
ers which patrol these ways, assisted