The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-02-24
COMMITTEE TO HEAR REASON FOR CHANGE
 IN BOARDS POLICY IN
 EXECUTIVE SESSION
(continued from Page one)

tary Daniels was the first Secretary to make public the boards recommen- dations in full and that they were re- garded as for the confidential use of tho Secretary only in navy regulations Admiral Badger said:
 TOO MUCH OF INCIDENT
 T think much more had been made of that incident than is Justified" He explained that the board had made a general recommendation as to person nel, amplified with statistical tables to show it's effect. When an ex-officio member of the board later suggested that tho Secretary was disinclined to publish the statistical part of the rec concentrations these had been stricken out. There was no suggestion, he added, of an attempt by the Secre- tary to force the board to alter it's statements.
 Representative Galloway produced a calculation which he said had been made for him by a navy officer, com pairing the gun power of the Amer ican and German fleets By these fig ures, he said. the American fleet, in guns above the five-inch type had 8 total muzzle energy of 6,166,44S foot tons and total broadside projectile weight of 792,906 pounds, while Ger many's total muzzle energy was 5,474,- S58 and broadside projectile weight 196,072 pounds.
 "If the best measure of the strength of our fleet is in it's gun power,' he said, then we've got stronger navy than Germany, have we not?"
 "It depends on how the guns are mounted or carried" Admiral Badger replied. He pointed out that some for eign navies employed many swift cruisers, with comparatively heavy guns which a single ship with fai lower total gun power would sink 1T few hours of combat.
 STRENGTH OF FRANCE
 Representative Galloway sought also to show that France was far behind the United States in gun power. Ad- miral Badger said France was building four ships to carry Is 1894 guns each, mounted four to turret. When com pleted they would give her a total of 13S guns of this size, while the United States would have afloat at about the same time 80 14-inch and 80 12-inch guns. The new French ships, he said, would be the most heavily armed in the world, but he thought 1t mis- take to have placed their guns four to a turret. A fourth of their power would be lost, he said, if a single tur- ret were damaged.
 Admiral Badger refused to give for pub lication his opinion as to the time Il would require to get the United State: fleet ready for action against a first class power. His attention was called to O statement to the committee last year by Rear Admiral Bradley A. Fiske, that it would take five years. He said he did not agree with that calculation, bu, preferred to discuss the subject later 1T executive session.
 ID animation of the witness, Chairman Pad. gett urged him to confine himself tc drawing out facts and not to go into speculations. "The time will come" MT Padgett said, when the chair will en- certain a motion to close the hearings whether everyone has been heard ol not"
 While the naval committee was gath ering information, both the Senate ant House military committee were strug gling with details of the army part ot the preparedness programme. The Sen ate committee virtually completed Its preliminary review of the measure tC be drafted for the reguar army, agree ment being reached upon it's main fea, ture.
 The bill will provide for peace strength standing army of 175,000 men, as com pared to 195,000 proposed by the House bill under consideration. The war strength will be fixed at 225,000. A seven-year en- listment, three with the colors and foul in the reserve, will be expected to pro. vide the men to fill up the regiments for war service Under this plan the soldier could be discharged into the re serve at the end of year if found eff. cient and can optionally go into the re. serve at the end of two years, if he desires.
 The Senate bill follows cIoSaly +he plan of 1912, devised by the army war college, after an exhaustive study. De- tails of organization suggested by the department this year, however, will be worked out in the measure which is in reality complete reorganization of the land forces, The committee will begin at once devising it's own plan for fed eralizing the National Guard.