Evening star., 1915-11-19
Secretary Daniels Hints Un-
less U. S. Orders Get Pref
erence Congress May Act.
FOREIGN DEMAND DELAYS
BUILDING OF BATTLESHIPS
Tentative Plans Under Consideration
for Two SO, ,O00-T Ton Dreadnaughts
to Head Naval Program.

congress may be asked to place
a temporary embargo on exports
of structural steel to the Euro
pean belligerents in order to in
sure sufficient supply of the
metal for use in the construction
of the two battleships, bids for
which were opened at the Navy
Department Wednesday.
| That plan is suggested as a result of
the disclosure that neither OF the new
battleships can be laid down before
next summer because of a lack Of
steel. The entire output of the Ameri-
can steel plants. 1t is said, has been
taken by the warning nations.
| Secretary Daniels, who is deeply con-
cerned over the situation, hints that un-
less steel plants can be induced to in
sure preference for government orders,
congress may be urged to act. The for
| eign demand for steel is greater than
for armor, according to the Secretary,
who says that this was shown by the
fact that armor bids for the new ships
made no increase in price over a year
nor was there a suggestion of delay in
delivery.
To Ask for Armor Plant.
He will again urge Congress. how
ever, to authorize construction of a
government armor plant. and will also
seek appropriations to At the Philadel-
phia and Mare Island yards for battle
ship building. He said he believed the
government should be so equipped to
do all the work necessary on battle
ship, even to rolling the steel should
an emergency arise. Such plant, he
declared, though it should never heat
utary effect in fixing prices to be paid
for new ships privately built.
/ announcement is made by Secretary
| Daniels that tentative plans are un-i
battleships to be included in the first
| years part of the five-year naval
| building program. No navy In the
world has such large warships as these
at present, The new ships probably
will have a greater armament and
speed than any other warship ever de-
signed for the United States Navy.
Changed Hull Construction.
| Part of the increased displacement
in the newest ships will be due to
changed hull construction to provide
additional torpedo defense bulkheads
While the general characteristics of
the ships have not been disclosed. it is
probable they will have increased
armament and speed.
The navy has developed a sixteen
inch rife of which no use has yet been
made, and the new ships may carry ten
or more OF these If developments Of the
European war indicate the wisdom of
mounting them. The largest guns now
anoat are the fifteen-inch weapons Of
A European navies, which the United
tc cot II -
equal for all practical purposes.
| Maximum speed of American battle
ships now built or authorized is about
ltwenty-one knots, although European
sidered proba BILE. that a speed of per-
haps twenty-five knots will be sought
hereafter.
! Is Studying the Bids.
Secretary Daniels announced today
that none Of the bids received from
private companies of construction of
tho. hulls and machinery of the two
superdreadnaughts authorized by the
last Congress was within the seven
| million n-eight-hundred thousand -doIla r
limit of cost fixed by Congress. q
| study of the bids which proposed va
pious modiacations in equipment and
grade OF material showed the lowest
i figures to be as follows:
New York Shipbuilding Company,
ss,075Ooo; Fore River shipbuilding
shipbuildiing Company. ss,24o. 500. The
Newport News Company's bid was
based on a fortymonth construction
period. The other two were figured on
a thirty-four-m month period. but init
mated delays beyond that time. due to
inability to get structural steel be-
+, cause Of the war orders in American
steel mills.