Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1916-03-31
Government Plant TO Man
ufacture Projectiles Is
Proposed.
$4,000 MEN NEEDED
Munitions Factories Are
Trying to Hold Up Price
to the Government.

tion preparedness plans Tor the navy
was given the house naval committee
today by Secretary Daniels, who will
he the last witness heard before the
committee begins framing It's bill.
The secretary added in several re-
spects to the program he had mapped
out in estimates previously submitted
| to the committee. lie urged the estab-
lishment of government plant to
manufacture navy projectilcs; raised
the estimate for the proposed research
laboratory from sl,000,000 to S1.500,-
0oO; asked for about fifteen thousand
| additional men instead of ten thou
sand, and proposed that civilian edu-
Gators be placed at the head of the
nonmilitary departments OF the naval
academy to release line officers for
| active service
| Requesting that all provisions for
air service be stricken out of the five
year building program, Mr.. Daniels
urscd an appropriation of $1,000, 900
| for aircraft this year. He explained
that there was no way of determining
what expenditure would be necessary
| in the future.
To Criticize Daniels.
Criticism of Secretary Daniels ad-
| minstration of the department fore
! shadowed by the course of certain
| committee members I'm examining
previous witnesses, probably will ma
terialiZe tomorrow. The secretary was
| allowed to proceed without interrup-
ton today, taking up the items on the
| program one by one He viii conclude
| ms statement tomorrow and be uues-
| TONED by the committeeman.
| questions OF new construction of
| hattleShips versus battle cruisers of
| The size and speed OF future subma-
fincs and other subjects much debat-
| ed during the prolonged hearing were
not reached. Mr., Daniels statements
outside OF those relating TO personnel
| mad to do almost wholly with indus
| trial problems of the service
| An outline of the Department. $
plan for building up an adequate re-
serve force for the navy was present
| ed by the secretary, 1t provides for
| live classes of reseryists The first to
| Dc known as the fleet reserve would
| he composed of former officers and
enlisted men: the second or naval re-
serve of officers and men OF the sea-
| going profession for seiVic ON fighting
| ships in war, the third or naval aux
| iltary reserve of shipmastcrs and sea
| men enrolled for war time duty on
| the auxiliary fleets the fourth or ma
| val coast defense reserve OF residents
on or near the coast capable of scrV-
| ing aboard mining craft. patrol vcs-
| sells, torpedo boats, aircraft and the
ike for duty on the coasts and in
| their respective districts; and the fifth
! pr volunteer naval reserve of men who
| would have no duty in peace times
but as owners of yachts. power boats
or other craft, could render efficient
| aid in wartimes.
Need Projcctilc Plant.
| Secretary Daniels urged the COM
| lnttee 10 report favorably the armor
/ plate factory bill, which recently
| passed the senate ana which will be
| yakcn up next Tuesday.
| n proiectile plant. Mr.. Daniels de-
clared, was vltally important to the
navy. with commercial concerns
swamped with war orders from Eu-
rope, he said, prices were going up
and 1t had been virtually impossible
to obtain what the navy must have.
| tie added that government plant
would make it possible to guard
| against navy inventions getting into
the hands of possible enemy powers
as was now almost certain to be the
case.
"The condition i'm the United States
today is briefly as follows" said the
| secretary.
| The navy wants armor piercing pro-
| iectiles but II does not want an infe-
| rior quality such as the manufacture
ers are willing to sell as such. The
| manufacturers, although they have
ample capacity and although they
| know that projcctiles in accordance
with the requirements can be pro-
duced, are unwilling to undertake
| their production, but are endeaVoring
to force the navy department to pay
the same price for an admittedly in
ferior product.
| Only ono Relief.
What H. tho answer? There can
be only one; that is for the navy de-
partment to own and operate its own
prOjectile plant"
Secretary Daniels explained that his
request that the enlistment Of fifteen
| thousand additional men be autho-
| fi2ed this year would bring the force
TO the figure fixed by the general
! board, Approximately siXty-seven
| thousand men. While nc thought IL
Improbable that more than ten thou
sand more men could be enlisted, he
pointed out that with the authoriza-
ton the recruiting service could be
lamplified to secure quicker results.
The secretary urged the equipmen;
OF the Norfolk, Philadelphia and Pu-
get Sound navy yards for heavy con
| struction and the building of big
dry dock at Norfolk
|