The Sentinel=record., 1916-12-12
COMMERCIAL WORK
 DfLAYS EMPHASIZES
SECRETARY DANIELS URGES LEG ISLATlON TO GIVE GOVERN MENT FIRST CALL ON
 STEEL MILLS.

Washington, Dec 1.-The attention of congress was directed sharply to- day to matters relating to both the army and navy, which are expected to be productive of agitation for even more drastic measures of national de- fenae than have yet been seriously considered
 Secretary Daniels, before the house naval committed advocated legisla- tion which would com el steel com panies and other private concerns to give preference to government orders for military supplies. Battleship con struction, he declared, was being de- layed by commercial work.
 Secretary Baker wrote Speaker Clark in response to a house resolu- tion that 71 ,S34 out of the grand total of 163 800 national guardsmen taken into the federal service up to August 3l were without previous military training. Rejections of enrolled guardsmen for various causes operat- ed later to increase the number of re- cruits to approximately 60 per cent of the force
 In this connection, also, army off cers charged with the duty of study ing events of the European war, both political and military, made prepara- tions to contend before the congress sional military committee that the fundamental reason for the cabinet crisis in England was the volunteer military uolicy there prior to the passage of the cOnscription act The experience of Great Britain is viewed by these officers as the strongest or arguments for the establishment of universal military training in the United States as urged in the report of Major General Hugh L. Scott, chief of staff. and to which the entire American general staff is committed.
 Another aspect of the national guard situation came from Quarter master General Sharpe, who told of a $25000,000 deficiency incurred by the war de- artment to equip and pay state troops now in the federal ser vice. If an average of 75,000 men are retained on the border until June 30, he said, the deficiency will be $50. 0oO ,000.
 The universal training advocates are expected to use these figures in contending that prohibitive cost would be the result of the present system, if the nation needed a great army. Secretary Daniels will ask $6000, GOO year for the equipment of govern ment yards to build ships, He insert ed a statement in the committee rec ord showing his aU proval of the gen. eral boards recommendations for twelve-gun 23-knot, 42,000-ton battle ships in the 1918 program at prob able cost for hull and machinery alone of $l5,00000O each. The ships will carry 16-inch, 50-caliber guns, the most powerful weapons ever de i signed for naval use, mounted three , to a turret
 { Mr Daniels raised the services of 1 Boatswain Hill, commanding the pris
 on ship Southery and approved a suggestion by Representative Roberts , that he be made a commander in the navy by act of congress.
 | Extension of facilities of enlisted : men to enter the naval academy was urged by the secretary, but he disap. proved the suggestion for early grad uatiow of midshipmen to fill vacancies
 in the service He intimated that he
 might ask later that the pay of all enlisted men on first enlistment be
 raised to encourage recruiting, but did not go into details.