New Britain herald., 1916-08-26
Sec'y Daniels, in Reply to Rep. Williams, Shows How Service Has Greatly |m- proved in Four Years

gressman- at-large from Illinois, ad- dressed the following letter to the secretary of the navy:
 Letter of Inquiry.
 House of Representatives U. s. Com
 mittee on the Judiciary.
 Washington, D. C., Aug. IS, 1916. Hon. Josephus Daniels, Secretary of
 the Navy, Washington, D. c.
 My Dear MT. Secretary:
 I am in receipt of numerous re- quests from friends and constituents asking for certain information with regard to the navy. The writers wish to know it's relative position among the navies of the world during recent years. and how and when our navy was relegated to a place inferior to that it formerly held among other nations, if such is the case. What was the condition of the navy when this administration entered upon it's duties and what has since been done to provide an adequate navy in ships men, officers and munitions? They are interested also in what has been done to better the organization of both the navy department and the fleet, and any economies that have been effected During the sixty-third con- gress, as a member of the house committee on naval affairs I kept in close touch with all proceedings to better the condition of the navy but on becoming member of he judi ciary committee of the sixty-fourth congress, my imm ediate relations with the navy ceased, and l have been un- able to keep in as close touch with it as I desired. Will you not there fore favor me with a letter, giving me full information along the lines suggested, that I may fully and cor rectly advise my constituents with re- spect thereto? I will appreciate your favor and courtesy in this behalf.
 Respectfully,
 Wm. ELIZA WILLIAMS. Responding to the request Secretary Daniels has made the following reply:
 The Secretary of the Navy,
 Washington, Aug. 23. 1916. !! My Dear Mr. Williams:
 am in receipt of your letter ask ing how it was and when it was that 1 the American navy was relegated to a place of inferiority to that it form erly held among other nations what the Wilson administration has done to | restore the navy to it's high place, and i what economies have been effected in ! the naval administration. I have de- : layed answering your letter until the i new naval appropriation act finally / had passed both houses, so as to give you the exact figures.
 When It Lost Second Place. ] The navy of Great Britain has been surpassed in power only once in our i history and that was in the admin istration of President Pierce, when i IS steam vessels were added to the 1 United States navy, giving it the ad- l vantage for the nonce over the Brit | ish navy in actual sea power, as all of the ships of England at that time were wooden sailing vessels and the , vulnerable side-wheel steamers. But that situation continued only for a short time. Tn answer to your Ques- l tion when the United States lost sec ond place, I quote the following statement made by the general board of the navy on May 2, 1916, in re- ponse to an inquiry by Representa- tive Butler, ranking republican mem Der of the house naval affairs com mittee:
 There is no known method of measuring accurately the relative power of two navies, as all elements must be considered, such as dispace- ments, mum Der and size of guns, muz- gle energy of battery, thickness and distribution of armor, speed and en- durance. Displacement is a simple and convenient measure. Using displace- ment as the comparative mea sure of material, and active personnel as the comparative measure of personnel, the following shows when the United States became second in size and strength and when the United States lost second position:
 f ships built, the United States advanced from third to second place in 1907 and dropped to third place in 1t11.
 "(b) Considering displacement of ships built and building, the United States advanced from third to second place in 1909, held this place for, 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 ad- vanced 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 nations"
 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. Tn 1903 the general board urged the adoption of a pro- gram providing for the construction of two battleships a year. If that plan had been carried out by 1919 we would have had 48 battleships and would have kept our place. But in 1905, the Secretary of the Navy (Mr. Bonaparte) asked for only one bat tleship, and in his message to con- gress in the same year President Rooevelt said in order to maintain