Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-08-28
DANIELS REVIEWS NAVAL
WORK OF ADMINISTRATION
Gives Out Letter to Representative
Williams Bearing on Achieve
mentS OF Wilson.
MOBILIZATION OF INDUSTRY
Total Amount for Building OF New
Ships S655, ,2s0, 800, as Against
Ss3, 1872 ,03s in Roosevelt's Term
and S127,747,113 Under Taft.

Especial to The Times Dispatchl
WASHINGTON. August 27.-In a let
ter to Representative william e. Will
liams. OF Illinois, dated August %. and
given out for publication here. Score
tary OF the Navy Josephus Daniels re-
view at great length the achievements
Of the Wilson administration In build
Ing up tho American navy.
Only once In our history, Mr. Daniels
wrote, WAS our navy first in the world.
That was in the Pierce administered tion.
when eighteen steam vessels were
added to our fleet, while all the British
ships were still wooden sailing vessels
and side-wheei star steamers.
Replying to Mr.. williams's question
regarding when tho United States navy
was second and when il became third
among the nations, MT. Daniels quoted
the following statement by the gen
cral hoard:
"(a) Considering displacement OF
ships built, the United States advanced
from third to second place in 1907, and
dropped TO third place in 1911.
"(b) Considering displacement of
ships built and building, the United
States advanced from third to second
place In 1909. held this place for a
short time only, and dropped to third
place again in the same year, 1909
"(c) Considering active personnel,
the United States advanced from third
to second place in 1908. dropped to
third place In 1911, and to fourth place
In 1913. The United States advanced
again to third place in the first part
OF 1914, and later that year dropped to
sixth place. owing TO the expansion OF
the naval personnel OF belligerent ma
tions"
ROOSEVELT ADVOCATED
"SINC:LE" BATTLESHIP
The United States lost second place
because Germany built ships rapidly
while the United States contented IT.
self with a small program Of naval
construction. In 1903 the general
board urged the adoption OF pro-
gram providing for the construction
of two battleships n year. II that plan
had been carried out, by 1919 we would
have had forty eight battleships. and
would have kept our place. But In
1905. the Secretary Of the Nav (sir.
Bonaparte) asked for only one battle
ship. and in his message to Congress
in the same year President Roosevelt
said in order to maintain and increase
the then standard efficiency OF the navy
II did not seem necessary, however,
that the navy shouldn't least in the
immediate future-be increased be-
yond the present number Of units and
he advocated adding a single battle
ship TO our navy each year In his
1907 message President Roosevelt
wrote to Congress: I do not ask that
We continue to increase our navy /
merely ask that II be maintained at
It's present strength At that time tho
general board WAS Insisting upon two
to three new battleships each year. but
their recommendation was carefully
pigeon -holed and not permitted to
reach the public. Never until tho Will
son administration was the recon-
mcndation OF the general board given
to the public. i mover saw it, was
the statement Of the two ranking
members Of the Naval Affairs Commit
tee Of the House. when. in 1913. T
printed the general boards report as
an appendix to my report. And yet,
though successive Republican admin
istrations had kept II as a sealed book,
Continued on Second Page.)