Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-07-13

ADVISERS Of NAVY
Continued from First Page)
No one today is able to tell what such
advice may bring forth. We cannot
tell today what kind of a battleship
We should have three years hence.
First Opportunity for Tests.
For the first time in twenty years
we have had an opportunity to test
the kind of ships and ammunition that
we have in actual naval warfare. OF
course. we already have learned many
things from this war. The minute the
war began our experts went to Europe
Already we are putting guns on sub
work on the subject of protection
against submarines.
This is era in naval warfare.
| believe there will be as much revo-
luton in naval construction in the flu
ture as there has been since the Mon
itor. The proposed board is one of
those things that must grow and work
out its own development
Secretary Daniels suggested one
of the possibilities the establishment
in Washington of large naval testing
laboratory. and also said that Congress
would be asked for a larger appropria-
ton for investigation and experiment
tation.
AS a nucleus to such testing plant
he cited the aerodome and the expert
mental tank already in operation at
the Washington navy yard.
Big Problems Considered.
| One of the big problems to be laid
before the new bureau will be that of
improving the navy's submarines and
aeroplanes, the imperative need of
which is recognized. Referring in his
letter to Mr.. Edison to submarine war
| fare, Secretary Daniels said he felt
| sure that with Mr.. Edison's wonderful
brain to help them the officers of the
| navy would be able ito meet this new
| danger with new devices that will as
| sure peace to our eountry by their eff
fectiveneSs.'
| Another important task of the bureau
| will be to make a careful study with "A
] view to their possible adoption of all
| the numerous suggestions and inven-
| tions which are received almost daily
| by the Navy Department from naval
| officers and civilians. These are now
handled by the various bureaus already
! overcrowded with routine work.
Secretary Daniels Letter.
| Il have been intending for some
time" Mr.. Daniels said, in his letter,
| ito write you expressing my admiration
at the splendid and patriotic attitude
you have taken, as reported in the pub
| lie press. in refusing to devote your
great inventive genius to warlike sub
jectS except at the call of your own
country. Such an attitude in these all
| too commercial times is one that
should be an inspiration to our young
men and lesson in the pre-emlnent
right of ones own country to the best
that Its citizens have that will be of
tremendous benefit to US all.
| Il have deferred writing you, how
ever, because at the time I wanted to
take up with you another matter to
which | have given a great deal of
thought matter in which l think
| your ideas and mine coincide if an in
terview with you recently published in
the New York Times was correct. There
| is very great service that you can
render the navy and the country at
| large, and which | am encouraged to
believe. from paragraph in Mr.. Mar
| shalfs interview, you will consent to
| undertake, as it seems to be in line
with your own thoughts.
Imperative Need of Navy.
"One of the imperative needs of the
=
and facilities for utilizing the natural
| inventive genius of Americans to meet
the new conditions of warfare as shown
| abroad, and it is my intention if Il
practical way can be worked out, as |
| think it can be, to establish at the
earliest moment a department of in
| vention and development, to which all
| ideas and suggestions. either from the
service or from civilian inventors, can
be referred for determination to
whether they contain practical SuggeS-
| tions for us to take up and perfect.
We, OF course, receive many SuggeS-
| tions. but our only way of handling
them at present is to leave them to
various bureaus already overcrowded
with routine work, and it is not al
ways possible to give the necessary at
tention to propositions that are not SO
definitely worked out as to make them
Immediately available for the service.
Ideas which contain the germ of inn
provement cannot always be given the
attention they deserve. as there is at
present no adequately equipped depart
| ment to which to send them for the
careful study required. In addition, our
naval officers, particularly those at sea,
are in position to note where i'm
provements are needed and to devise
ways in which these improvements can
be made. They have, however, neither
the time nor the special training, nor
in many cases, the natural inventive
turn of mind needed to put these ideas
into definite shape. Were there place
where they could be sent to be worked
out and perfected l am snre we would
get many noteworthy improvements
from this source alone.
Heavy Work on Bureaus.
I'VE have. of course, in the Navy De-
partment, energetic and wide-awake
bureaus, headed by experts in their
particular lines of work, who devote all
the time they possibly can to a study of
this problem. They have made impor-
tant contributions to the improvements
in the implements of naval warfare,
and are doing all that is possible with
their other large duties. There are, un-
fortunately. no officers now detailed
who can take time from the mass of
work which they are called upon to do
in order to devote it fully to studying
new suggestions and inventions The
department is also unprovided with the
best facilities for work of pure expert
mentation and investigation, with the
exception of our testing station at An
napolis, which is, as yet, a small affair.
Most of all, as l have said, there is no
particular place or particular body of
men, relieved of other work, charged
solely with the duty of either devising
1.-Two ,nrfa i,,,r