The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1916-03-03
NATIONAL TOPICS
ARE DISCUSSED
Special Correspnndence J

/ fore the house naval committee, was
To keep the United States ahead of
Germany Ia the race for naval SUI
premacy.
The statement Nas made by Rear
Admiral Charles J Badger, mem
Der of the general board who ex-
| planned that tue policy had contem-
plated fleet Of forty-eiGht first line
hattleships by 1919 TO accomplish its
purpose.
The statement I'D not g0 into the
records of the hearing and Admiral
Badger did not ampllfy it TO show
why the board had thought such a
course necessary The admiral was
relying TO suggestion that the OBJ
ject OF the old policy, abandoned this
year by the board, was to keep the
| American navy In second place.
While that was tile effect 1t had, he
said The real object was to keep
ahead of Germany.
This yeaI the board fixed as its pol.
Icy the creation by 1925 Of heet
equal to the most powerful afoat at
that time. The commit did not
90 into the board's reasons for chang
Ing its ideas beyond drawing out the
explanation that the board believed a
fleet 10 per cent superior to any
fighting force tbat might be brought
| against 1t would be necessary to in.
sure against the invasion OF Ameri-
can soil by an enemy.
Under questioning by Represent
ative Kelley Admiral Badger said
the construction Jf three additional
dreadnoughts and eight hattie oruis-
ers would place the navy on par
with the capital ships Of the German
| feet today. GehIlanV now has
twenty-five dreadDoughts and eight
bittle cruisers, he said, according to
the best available Information,
while the United States has, all
told, nineteen ships of the dread.
nought class or building
| To equal Great Btitian's probable
fleet within Two years, Admiral
Badger said the United States
would he obliged to have a total
force OF forty dreadnouRhts, fifteen
battle cruiser, twenty-five swift
scouting craft, 200 submarines, and
25O destroyers. He was not favoring
such a program, but merely answer
Ing questions hy Representative But
! ler. such a fleet could not be built
in two years he added, though 1t
might he constructed In four
Representative Butler said con-
struction experts ot the navy had
told tile committee that the max.
imum number of capital ships that
could be laid down at one time in
the United States was twenty-five
and that they could be completed in
two years if the skilled labor could
! be found. Admiral Butler thought
the armour output would not per-
nit such rapid construction and
Representative Butler agreed, saying
he had been told by the man who
sells armor 10 the government, that
the maximum possible output was
81, 600 tons year, or enough to equip
eight or nine heavy ships.
Chairman Padgett remarked that
the armor manufacturers hal told
the investigating commission last
yeaI that they could produce only 2s,
900 tons annually.
10 urging great increase in the
fleet Admiral Badger said he did not
wish 10 he understood as saying the
present force was not thoroughly
efficient one.
II did not want to give the i'm
preston" he said, THAT our fleet
is no good The only trouble with 1t
is that it's not big enough for posi-.
bihlies. It's good fleet, well
d illed, veil equipped, and we'll or
ganiz d. We are nov prepared just
as far as our power will permit us u
be More power means more shios.
Regarding the present place of the
United States fleet among the ma
vies OF the world, Admiral Badger
said he cia>sed ID as third in fighting
power with France a close fourth.
II think We are number three, he
said. d" Japan Is coming along, but
has 20 d deal TO do 10 equal ouI
Ilest. In military poweI-fghtinR
efiiciency-I think we are prettJ
good thirI, with France not far ne'
mind.
ErieBds OF the literACy test meas
uFe. which probably will be brougf
on the floor late this week, uoastt
today that they had enough votes /,
pass II over another veto bY the pre- ',
idsnl, which is confidently expectti
If the bill ever reaches him. Sup
porters Uf the Asiatic exclusion bill
are making 4 determined effort K
have one Of them reported, despite