New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-03-01
Fifty Per Cent Efficient"

Rear Admiral Knight does not stand III
terror Of the Daniels gag. In his tesu-
Inony before the House Committee on
Naval Affairs on Monday he ruthlessy
shattered the one remaining fiction on
which the friends Of Mr.. Daniels have
been counting to cover over the latter
ineficiency as Secretary of the Navy.
Mr.. Daniels has many times made the
plea land his little coterie of lleutenants
has echoed il at the House hearings that
the navy. conceding its limitations in size,
is, from the military point of view OF the
highest quality-ship for ship and man
for man, on an equal footing with any
other navy. He has thus tried to create
the impression that his administration OF
the navy has kept pace with the new
knowledge which the test of navles IN
actual warfare has brought and that,
though Congress may enlarge the fleet and
so strengthen our position as naval
mower. little needs to be done to improve
our personnel or our naval methods.
This is one of the most dangerous delu-
sions with which Secretary of the Navy
could be afflicted. Nobody will deny that
We have number Of valuable and power
ful units In our battleship fleet, or that
most Of our naval officers are capable ana
Intelligent. But the fact remains that
our personnel is graveiy handicapped IN
;ts mastery of naval tactics and strategy
bv radical faults of military organization
and that the value Of the excellent hight
inc units which we have is greatly reduced
Inv the lack of the complementary units OF
other classes needed TO give fleet all
round efficiency.
Rear Admiral Knight disposed Of the
self-confdent eulogies on his own manage
ment which Mr.. Daniels has been passing
our by bluntly saying that the existing
feet is so per cent short on normal EN-
cirncv because of shortages OF men, battle
cruisers and scout ships. If he had de-
veloped this thought little further he
would doubtless have added that our lack
of men. battle-cruisers, scout-crulsers ana
,tber auxiliaries was due TO our failure toI
vest military control of the navy in a
naval general staff capable Of coordinat-
ing all our naval resources TO one delihiVe'
intelligent purpose.
We have no battle-cruisers, because that
type Of vessel has only recently estap-
Ished its striking usefulness. Mr.. Daniels
is not 70 blame because we are just about
"a begin TO build battle-cruisers. But he
is n blame for our shortage in scout
cruisers. In 1914, after the war in Europe
had shown the necessity of maintaining a
large number Of sea scouts, the General
Board of the Navy recommended the au-
tborization Of four scout-cruisers. Mr.
daniels voted this recommendation, ana
1pngress followed his advice instead or
the advice given by the General Board.
lie therefore contributed personally tol
postpoae for at least year any EFFORT 10
overcome one Of the vital factors working
for feet inefliciency.
Sbjps take two or three years 70 build.
But men can be recruited on short notice.
Instead Of cooperating TO secure an ade-
ouate enlisted force, Mr.. Daniels has used
ali his influence 20 keep down the number
of men available for active duty. lie be-
6eves in keeping vessels in commission
only half the time and shifting crews from
older battleships 10 newer ones. ms
band-to-mouth economy is highly democrat
izjng and wasteful. Ships out Of commits
sion deteriorate much more rapidly than
they do when in active service. Crews be-
come less efficient when they are being
constantly broken up and shifted.
"For wears" said Admiral Knight, "the
navy has been gasping for breath IN the
matter Of men. When new ship goes
into commission it is necessary TO strip
some other ship and break up organiza-
tons"
Before the war began this happy-go-
lucky policy was condoned more or less
On the theory that every arbitration
treaty which the United States concluded
,gas equal in value % couple OF fully
manned battleships. We no longer put any
faith in such an equivalence. Yet Mr..
Daniels in 1914 rejected the recommends
ton Of the General Board Of the Navy
that all batileships under fifteen years OF
age from date Of authorization, all destroy
ers and submarines under twelve years Of
age from date Of authorization, half the
cruisers and all the necessary feet auxil-
iaries be kept in full commission. lie ad-
yised Congress 20 make no increase az all
IN the enlisted strength Of the navy.
in 1915 the General Board recommended
Increasing The number Of enlisted men 10
$1,000. Nr. Daniels recommended maxi
mum Of e2,99l, that total including sew
cral thousand apprentices. The navy has,
Therefore, been left under the Secretarys
= policy still "gasping for air in the matter
Of men"
Notwithstanding all Mr. Daniels pro-
teztations ~ belief in strong and Eff
cient navy, he has never ceased 70 f>mpcr