New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-08-25
Gardner Seeks to Find Out
What Secretary Knows
of the Navy.
POINT
TO UNREADlNESS
Bay State Representative
Gives Chance to Answer
in Maine.

West Sullivan, Ne, Aug. 2A.-Thir-
teen specific questions on the navy
were propounded to Secretary Josephus
Daniels by Representative A. T. Gardner
of Massachusetts,, in speech here TO-
night. Mr.. Gardner sent the questions
in advance to Mr.. Daniels, so that the
Secretary of the Navy might be pre-
pared TO answer them in speech he
is to deliver at Jacksonville, Me-, to-
morrow evening. Mr.. Gardeners ques-
tions follow:
an your annual report, submitted
to Congress December 1. 1914, you en-
titled one of the subdivisions Proof OF
Preparedness of the Navy You said;
"The navy is always ready it lives in a
state of preparedness. And. further,
YOU said: AS far as the submarines
themselves arc concerned IL is believed
that ours are on par with any IN the
world
AT the time when you submitted
that report were not the following
facts in the possession of the Navy
Department?
"Question !: Was il not known TO
the department that every battleship
then in commission was equipped en-
tirely with torpedoes which Admiral
Strauss, Chief of Ordnance, had six
weeks previously declared to be obso-
lete?
"Question 2: Had not Admiral Fiske
three weeks previously, on November 3,
1914, submitted to you q, \ official letter
with the subject title. The Nays I'm
preparedness for War?
Question g. Were not the scores OF
the target practice of the Atlantic bat
tleship fleet for 1914 in the possession
of the Navy Department at the time OF
your report. and did not they show that
our naval gunnery had degenerated TO
an inefficiency almost incredible? Did
not those scores show that out OF
twenty-one battleships the proficiency
attained in elementary target practice
on the Mayo scale was as follows:
Excellent Two battleships.
Good One battleship.
Fair Two battleships.
"Poor Four battleships.
Unsatisfactory (the lowest rating OF
alb Twelve battleships.
"Question As it not a fact that
three weeks before your report to Con-
gress alleging the preparedness Of the
navy you wrote TO Admiral +. r.
Fletcher, commander in chief of the
Atlantic fleet, as follows:
Information is desired as to the
reasons for the unpreparedness of the
submarine flotilla for active service
Your recommendation is desired as to
the course to be pursued in the future
to prevent such unpreparedness'?
Question 5-Is it not true that oil
all the forty-four naval vessels author
lied prior TO this year by Congress
during President Wilson's Administra-
ton, only one has as yet been put in
commission?
Question els it not true that or
August /, 1916, not one single stroke
of work has yet been done on the
dreadnoughts Tennessee and Cslifor-
MIA, the destroyer Caldwell and the
submarines OIL and OF, although Con
gress voted to build these vessels or
March 3, 1915?
have on your hands thirty-five uncom
I
authorized by Congress in 1908, one IL
1909. five in 1912, four in 1918, eighr
in 1914 and sixteen in 1915?
Question SIS it not true that you
| have made a contract with the Electric
Boat Company allowing that concern
three years in which to complete the
/ building of the seagoing submarine
/ Schley?
Question Els it not true that the
| super dreadnoughts Nevada and Okla
/ homa, which for the first time you put
/ in commission this spring, were au
I thorized over five years previously by
/ Congress?
Question los it not a fact tina
/ eight years ago sixteen American bat
! tleships were modified for a triI
around the world, whereas last winter
/ only fifteen battleships could be mus
tered for Admiral Fletcher's ma
neuvres?
"Question 1.-THE Official Navy Lis
Of August /, 1916, shows that there arr
nineteen battleships at present In full
commission. Is it not true that three
of them are operating with reduced
compliments Of officers and men? |
it not also true that the destroyer flo
| tillas are likewise operating with re
| duced compliments of officers AM
men?
Question 12.-Is il not a fact tina
on December !, 1914, with European
war raging, you advised Congress t.
cut in two the navy building pro
gramme recommended by the Genera
Board Of the navy? And is il not alst
true that you entirely cut out the Gen
eral. Boards recommendation for IS,
100000 for airships?
Question 13.-Is it not true that oil
July 80, 1915, the General Board of tn
navy recommended to you that tn
navy building programme for this yea
! should include battleships, armore'
| cruisers, scout cruisers, 28 destroyer
and 81 submarines? And is it not ais
| true that you recommended to Con
| gress to cut the programme down I
battleships, battle-cruisers, scou
cruisers, Is destroyers and 80 sub
marines?"