Bridgeton pioneer., 1915-10-28
DANIELS PLANNING
MERCHANT Marine
Would Thus Provide Navy With
Auxiliary Vessels.
PROGRAM INTERESTS NATION

Congress Will Be Asked to Appropriate
$500, ,4s2, 900 For the Navy During the
Men-Ten Dreadnaughts and Two
Cruisers on Program.
Auxiliary vessels for the American
navy will be drawn entirely from
government owned merchant marine
according to the present plans of the
administration. Secretary of the Navy
Daniels has explained fully why he
had not included in his five year build
ing program any provision for auxil-
iaries to the navy, which will be need.
ed in time of war.
The designs of the government owned
merchant vessels have been approved
by the bureau of construction and re-
pair Of the navy department, so that
little change will be required to con-
vert the vessels from cargo carrying
ships to supply ships and Golfers. The
secretary of the navy will insist that
the crews of the vessels will be made
up entirely of American citizens
The five year program for new con-
struction i'll the navy and for increased
personnel which the president will sub
NIT to congress has interested all the
country.
The program calls upon congress to
appropriate this year the sum of $217,-
652, ,173, an increase of about $6S,000-
900 over the current naval appropria-
ton. 1t also ask congress- approval of
five year plan of new construction,
munitions and aviation, with a total
cost of $502, $4,000
Mr.. Daniels will ask congress to pro-
vide this year for an increase of 1850
men for the navy, to consist of 1900
sailors, $500 apprentice seamen and
1900 marines.
Daniels Five Year Program.
The five year program outlined by
Mr.. Daniels and approved by the pres
ident provides for, in addition to con-
struction already authorized, the fol-
lowing vessels: Ten dreadnaughts, six
battle cruisers, ten scout cruisers, fifty
destroyers, fifteen feet submarines,
eighty-five coast submarines, four gun
boats, one hospital ship, two ammuni-
tion ships, two fuel Oil ships and one
repair ship. f,.t
The First Year Program.
OF this total the plan calls for the
authorization this year of the follow.
ing: Two dreadnaughts, two battle
cruisers, three scout cruisers, fifteen
destroyers, five feet submarines, twen-
ty-fve coast submarines, two gunboats,
one hospital ship and one fuel oil ship.
The actual construction program of
each Of the five years is not the same,
as an effort has been made to arrange
the laying down Of new ships in such
a way as viii make the total expendi-
ture Of each year as nearly equal as
possible.
Two million dollars Is asked for this
year for aviation and 100000 in each
Of the four succeeding years. For mu-
nition reserves $SO0O,O0O is asked for
this year, $5,00O,O0O in each of the
next three years and $2,000,OOO in the
fifth year.
This program both for the present
year and successive years is larger
than any ever before authorized by o
congress in single year. Mr.. Daniels
called attention to the fact that the
Sixty-third congress in authorizing five
battleships, twelve destroyers and
twenty-six submarines had provided
the largest program of any one con-
gress. As result of this large pro-
gram, however, the sum of sos, 1865, ,OO0
is required out of the estimates for
next year to complete construction al
ready under way or authorized.