Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1916-04-01
DANIELS GIVES
VIEWS RE GARD|NG
NEEDS OF NAVY
Doubts ACCESSIBILITY Of Con-
Structing More Submarines
of 1000 Ton Type Without
Testing Out the SchIey,

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Washington. March Sl.-Secretary
Daniels touched on all sides of the
naval preparedness program in con-
tinulng his testimony today before the
house naval committee. lie proposed
various notifications in and additions
to the five-year building program en-
dorsed by President Wilson, mclud-
ing elimination entirely OF tue pro-
visions for great sea-going submarines
in the 1917 estimates.
Instead of appropriating for larger
vessels the secretary suggested build
ing three S00-ton type boats for test
purposes, three 1,000-ton Schley type
craft already having been authorized.
The remainder of the submarine
fund. he urged. should go into coast
defense boats of a standard type that
could be quickly secured Thirty l.
type or X type boats may be the NUM-
Der agreed upon
Need of Drydo rs
other now lectures proposed by Mr..
Daniels were
Construction Of a great drydock at
Norfolk and possibly at Philadelphia.
establishments Of marine, avia-
ton and submarine base at San Diego,
Cal
Study of the Pacific coast to de-
termine the best location for an ad-
ditional navy yard there, probably at
Los Angeles or san Diego.
Expenditure of $4,000 to clear
the approach to the Charleston. S c.,
yard for heavy draft ships; and au-
thorizing the rank of full admiral for
the chief of operations and fixing his
powers by law on an equality with
those Of chiefs Of bureaus.
In connection with the building pro-
gram, Mr.. Daniels made public the
famous report of the general board
in 1903, which set a continuous build
ing policy for the navy for the first
time, and aimed at a battleship fleet
of forty-cight BY 1921, # it had been
approved, he said. the United states
navy would have reached second place
among the powers of the world and
remained there.
The board proposed that the fleet
built and authorized should be com
posed as follows by 1919: Battleships,
As; cruisers, p; protected cruisers,
As, scout cruisers, As, destroyers, AS;
gunboats. six additional. In addition
the following auxiliaries were recon-
mended for each squadron of eight
battlcships; Five golfers, one ammu-
milton ship, one supply ship, one re-
pair shin, one tank ship, two trans
ports and one hospital shin
How 1t Would BE Done.
AS an annual building program the
board proposed two battle ships, one
armored cruiser three protected
cruisers, four scout cruisers three de-
stroyers and two Golfers
The secretary also presented a table
Of the worlds naval tonnage which
showed that Germany and the United
States passed France in naval powers
about the same time, in 1911. Ac-
cording to these figures the United
states navy never has been in second
place, France dropping from second
to fourth at that time, while Ger
many became second and the United
States third
The Admirai's Rank.
The question Of giving admiraps
rank TO the chief Of operations WAS
brought up by Representative Rob
erts. who pointed out that the regu-
lation promulgated by Secretary Dam
iels for that office conferred upon the
officer all the authorities Of a chief
of staff. He said he wished 10 legal
ize the regulations so that future sec
retaries, while they could add to the
powers conferred could take nothing
from them. Secretary Daniels
thought it would be unwise to limit
the executive head of the navy de-
partment in that way.
Representative Browning asked
about the construction of battle ships
43 and A in government yards. He
read q list Of the material private
bidders had sought to eliminate. say
ing increased cost Of material and
labor made ii impossible to build
them within the limits of the appro-
priation otherwise Secretary Daniels
said the lower bids Of the yards in
cluded everything except insurance,
bond and trial trip expenses amount
ing to 100000 while the figures
quoted by the yards were more than
$500 900 below the lowest bidder.