The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1916-10-19
SOMEONE NEEDED
TO PUT THROUGH
NAVAL PROGRAM

Now arises the question: do VIII
son and Daniels intend to carry out
the program" The navy department
has advertised for bids on the ships
| to be built. but ut tho rate Daniels has
| conducted the construction Of vessels,
authorized even before the Wilson ad-
minlstration took office, 1t will require
six instead OF three years TO complete
| the program.
May Curtall ShipbuiIdlng Program.
| And already tho president has per-
mittod his national committee to tell
/ the pacihists that sit is entirely posi-
| BILE much Of the money authorized for
naval construction may never be spent
at all"
This statement Is founded on the
| provision of the navy act authorizing
| the president to suspend the cOnstruc-
| tlion program II assured of IN estab-
| lishmcnt of means for the pacific set
Element Of international disputes The
| building Of the new navy. therefore,
is dependent upon Woodrow Wilson's
opinion OF what constitutes a guaran-
tee of world peace.
The danger OF committing the naval
program to the keeping Of the presi-
dent and Daniels is graphically dis
closed by the warship building record
OF the administration.
Slow In Building Ships.
The 1912 battleship, the Oklahoma,
was not completed until this year at
about the same time as the Nevada
and Pennsylvania of the previous
years authorization. The Arizona. au-
thorized in 1913. has just been com
pleted 1t is not in service, because
there are not enough men TO man il.
In 1914 three ships were authorized.
the New Mexico and the SUCCESSORS to
the old Idaho and Mississippi The
first was sent to the New York navy
yard 10 be built and the others to
private yards. The others are fifty
three and siXty-three per cent COM
pleted. The navy yard job Is forty
three per cent done.
a year and a half ago two more bat
tleships were authorized. Again tho
administration sent them to govern
ment yards to be built, although it is
impossible to get the completed Cali
fornia out of the Mare Island navy
yard without spending millions for
dredging deeper channel Admiral
Badger so informed the secretary of
the navy, but without altering Mr..
Daniels determination.
Neither Vessel Begun.
The keel has not been laid for either
vessel. The navy departments latest
| reports indicates that preliminary
shop work has been done on the Cali
fornia. which is now ~ per cent
done"
There were six destroyers authorized
in each year. The twelve authorized
| prior TO the arrival of Mr.. Wilson are
| completed, and two of the 1914 crop
are completed. OF the remaining four
the one furthest from completion is
the only one which is being built at
a government yard. or the 1915 au-
\ thorizations two we're not even start
ed until recently. One Of these two
was assigned Ia government yard 1t
is still the furthest from completion.
Two fuel ships are under construc-
ton at the Mare Island navy yard.
One of them was authorized in Au-
gust. 1912, before Mr.. Wilson was
elected II is not yet done
A supply ship and a transport au-
thori2ed in March. 1913, were assigned
by the present administration to the
| government yards at Boston and Phil
! adelphia. One is expected 10 be done
next January and the other in Feb
/ ruary.
No Speed on L. S. Jobs.
/ Six submarines which were au-
thoriZed in 1912 are not vet finished.
= Two which were authorized in March,
1918. are not completed The sea-
| going submarine Schley was author
lied on June 80, 1914. yet is its not
| scheduled for completion until March.
! 1918. despite the fact that ii is being
I built by a company which in five
months completed for Great Britain
ten submarines. which crossed the
ocean on their own bottoms. Another
OF the 1914 submarines is not 10 be
completed until 1915 and this is true
Of several OF the 1915 crop
il is noteworthy that of the sixteen
coast defense submarines authorized
year and half ago, two were to be
built at the government yards in
Portsmouth and Puget Sound. Not a
stroke OF construction work has been
done on either.
OF the forty-four vessels authorized
during the Wilson administration. only
three have been completed. Five years
we're required TO complete the two
dreadnaughts authorized in 1911.
Thirty-two submarines are in process
+ q construction today. six Of them au-
thorized before Mr.. Wilson was elect
( cd.
/ Could Have Paid for Sell.
II is worth noting that private con-
tractors were ready to build the sup
ply ship. authorized three years and a
half ago, and do 1t in TWENTY-FIVE
months. The low bid was s1.345. 900.
they would have had It completed by
the summer Of 1915 at the latest. AS
present charter rates make such yes
sci worth from $4,000 to $4,000 a day.
the ship would have been in a position
TO earn well over its value by this
time-but the government yards have
! not yet completed it.
= The Same facts onpI,, a. a. $500