Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1915-10-23
DANIELS WANTS BIG
ARMOR-PLATE PLANT
Secretary Says He Win Also Ask
Appropriation for PrOjectiIe
Factory.
FAvORS SHIP PURCHASE TOO.
in North Carolina Speech He Sounds
Keynote of Administrations Pro-
Sgram Of Preparedness.

kSIdN Oi preparedness.
A big Government armor-plate plant
nd projeetile factory are proposed in
The Navy's national defense program.
Secretary of the Navy Daniels an
nounced at Raleigh. n. c.. Tuesday. in
4 speech at the State Fair. sounding
he keynote of the Administrations
preparedness policy.
Secretary Daniels said he would ask
Congress TO appropriate for the two
new projects this year He also urg-
ed passage of Government ship pur-
chase bill. to provide naval auxiliary
ships and the use and extension Of
Government navy yards to manufac-
ture war munitions.
IF my recommendations are approx
ed" he said, ''the Government will be
free to make a large part of its own
munitions if private concerns charge
excessive prices. We will erect a large
factory, which will turn out 14-inch
amor-piercing shells as well as smaller
proiectiles. The time has come for the
navy to build an armor- plate plant foe
tory of its own.
I'm Cleveland's last administration.
Secretary Herbert recommended the
erection of an armor-plate factory, but
no action was taken. In the naval APP
preparation act approved June z. 1900,
the sum of $4,000,000 was appropri-
ated for "a factroy for the manufacture
OF armor' But the act declared that
f1,, -
build the factory provided such con-
tracts can be made at price which, in
his judgment. is reasonable and equit-
able The Secretary decided the price
offered was reasonable and equitable
and no factory was built
The price of armor plate in 1906
was S346 ton. 1t jumped i'm 1907 to
1920 a ton and continued to soar If
the factory had been built in 1907, as
Congress authorized, the Government
wuold have saved enough on armor
plate TO pay for the plant many times
over. There has been no competition
in armor plate and recently two of the
three plants came under single own
ership. The time has come for the
navy to build a factory of it's own.
which should have been erected in
1907, when the money was available.
1T has been ascertained by Especial
commission that the navy. with a mod
ern plant, can manufacture armor
plate at from $3.50 to $500. as against
the non-competitive prices of $425 to
$4S6 charged under the last contract" !"
Secretary Daniels announcement
was the first official statement that the
armor-plate and projectile plant were
included in the navy's estimates for
national defense. Regarding neces-
sity for defense Mr. Daniels said:
war relate to preparedness rather than
TO strategy. Some of the belligerents
who thought themselves adequately
prepared, walked up to find themselves
sadly mistaken Such lessons as these
have awakened the people of our own
country to a new interest in defense.
"The hope which | entertained for
an international agreement 10 end
competition in costly building pro-
grams | still cherish. While condi-
tions today are such that no suggest
ion looking to an international agree
ment could be made with prospects Of
success. / still entertain the sincere
desire that when peace is restored the
suggestions may be approved by the
great bodybuilding nations of the
world"
Mr.. Daniels said he did not advocate
Government monopoly in making
war munitions, but desired the Govern
ment to be equipped to furnish ade-
quate supplies and also to hold down
prices of private contractors.
THAT policy" he said would pre-
vent effective agitation for war con-
Quoted by those who make profit by
manufacture of war supplies. 1t has
been suspected in some countries that
makers of armor plate, powder guns
and fighting craft have promted stead
lily increasing equipment for giant na-
vies and large armies for their per-
sonal enrichment The effective way
20 prevent so baneful an influence is
for Congress to give the Department
authority TO manufacture its own i'm
plements of war"