The Washington herald., 1916-09-11
ARMY AND NAVY NEWS
Best Service Column in City.

| Preparations are being made for the
public hearing to be given by Secretary
Of the Navy Daniels. to those who wish
tc sell to the government. sites that might
be suitable for the location Of the new
naval armor plant, authorized by the
naval appropriation bill of the past Con-
gress. For the construction and equip
ment Of such a plant. the sum of ST.
100000 has been set aside, but nothing
has been allotted for the purchase of the
site. 1t was evidently in the minds of
the legislators that the new plant would
be established on q naval reservation,
possibly at the Philadelphia Navy Yard.
which location was the implied prefer
ence Of the commission which investigat-
ed the government arnor plant project
| and which was composed of Senator TILL
man, Representative Padgett and Rear
Admiral Joseph Strauss, chief of ordnance
of the navy.
The claims Of the property owners will
| be heard on Wednesday, at which time
1t Is expected Secretary Daniels will also
entertain any proposals which may come
| from the owners of the three existing
private armor-plate plans for the pur-
chase OF such property by the govern
ment
The decision of Mr.. Daniels to have a
public hearing on the subject, appears to
| some persons to be an Invitation of
trouble, inasmuch as It is apprehended
that not many less than 100 sites may be
presented for departmental consideration.
While the commission was inclined to
regard the Philadelphia location as suit
| able for ths-purposes, there are other
experts who prefer the Pittsburgh dis
trict, while Mr.. Daniels is understood to
| regard with approval a location at or
near Birmingham, Ala. Objections to the
Southern site rest mainly on the fact
that 1t is SO far removed from the labor
market, although It has the advantage
of being in a coal and iron section.
1t is estimated that the site, H Il is
necessary to purchase one instead Of US
| ing government land, will cost about
| 81, 500, 900. AS for the cost Of the plant,
originally estimated at 81. 900 900, 1t is now
surmised by experts that the increase
in the price OF material and the cost of
Tabor will serve to advance this total ex-
pense to at least S15, .0O0 1t has also
been estimated that II will take the Navy
Department fully three years to construct
an armor plant. The assertion has been
made that the same work might be done
under some circumstances by a private
concern within half that time.
PURCHASE Of a coal scow for use in
Honolulu Harbor is being urged by army
quartermasters. The practice which has
obtained for a number OF years in con-
nection with supplying the trane-Pacific
transports with fuel embraces the main
| tenance Of a reserve supply Of fuel at
Honolulu. The freight and animal trans
port Dix, which would otherwise return
| from Manila Light, puts into the Jap
| anese port OF Mike and takes a full
cargo OF cheap Japanese coal This coal
| she transports to Honolulu, where it is
unloaded and kept on hand for issue to
the other transports on their outward
voyages to Manila. These transports, on
| arrival at Manila, take on sufficient fuel
to carry them TO Japan on their return
trips, and obtain at Nagaski sufficient fuel
to operate them to San Francisco. and
thence to Honolulu on the next outward
voyage, where they replerish their bunk
ers from the coal transported on the DIX
1t is therefore necessary for the expedi-
| tious unloading of the Dix and the load
| ing Of other transports, that there be
available a capable coal scow