The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1916-03-03
NAVY CONSTRUCTION
Should Only BE Limited BY COuntry's
Capacity To Build, Says Rear
Admiral knight.

StruCtlOn LOT Ine navy SDOulu De llul-
tied this year only by the country's
facilities to build" Rear Admiral Aus
tin NJ Knight, president of the navy
war college, told the House Naval
Committee
"If an adequate feet is to be made
ready by 1926" he declared, IAN i'm
mediate inquiry should be made to de-
termine the extent of these facilities.
at is a big program, of course, ="
said Admiral Knight, but we have a
big country to defend.
Only the limits of construction fa-
cilities, the admiral explained, had
caused the general board to fix 1925
as the date the American feet should
equal any afloat.
IF we could get it," he added, 81
would say we need it now, today, to-
morrow"
Speeter OF Double Assault.
In reaching its decision the witness
said the board had before il the spec
ter of a double assault against the
United States, with enemies in the At
lantic and Pacific to meet at the same
time. Questioned by Representative
Galloway he said, the feet proposed
would meet any such combination that
did not include England, and he
thought it unlikely that a combination
against the United States including
that country would be ever formed.
Asked if he had any reason to be-
lieve OF any danger of another combi-
nation the admiral said yes" and he
was not pressed to amplify his state
ment.
Representative Butler asked wheth-
er the sudden entrance of the United
States into the race for naval suprem-
acy would not cause other nations to
increase their programs. The admiral
thought not, for several years at least,
or until the American feet began to
approach the British, for instance, in
size.
Asked by Representative Kelly what
the present feet could do in case of
attack Admiral Knight said:
Recommends Ships Withdrawal.
"If we were attacked by the Eng
fish fleet, / think the navy ought to
shut itself up in some harbor, but
against any other navy we ought to
go out and do the best we could"
It was suggested that war with Eng
land was extremely unlikely. Admir-
al Knight said this was open to ques-
ton, although the general boards
plans had not contemplated any possi-
BILE enemy combination including Eng
land. The strange diplomatic devel-
opments of the present war he thought
made almost anything possible, and
he added;
Certain features, which we have
heretofore regarded as features OF
safety have now become points of dam
ger. | am not so sure, we will never
have a war with England"
Admiral Knight said that battle
cruisers and scouting crafts were the
things needed vitality to make the pres
ent feet of dreadnoughts effective.
The world produced, he said. no bet
ter ships. officers or men than those of
the American feet AS a part of the
1917 program the admiral urged that
Culebrant Island of the eastern end
of Porto Rico and the farthest out
post ON the road from Europe to the
caribbean, should be made an inn
pregnable fortress, where the fleet
might be based Guam In the Pacific
he thought, should be similarly equip
ped Admiral knight disagreed with
the suggestion that the coasts Of the
United States could be rendered Sc
cure from attack by establishing a
chain OF submarines along the sheer
Present Need Urgent
DO you see any reason" Repre-
sentative Butler demanded. why We
should hasten construction OF ths
feet this year. which you did not 500