The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-02-19
Teutonic Allies Twice as Strong as We Are and France Twenty-Five Per Cent Better Now
JAPAN'S PROGRAMME
 WILL NOT BRING HER
 UP TO UNITED STATES
Disagrees With Admiral Grant Over Advisability of Abandoning the Small Type of Submarine

Washington, February H-The British navy today IS approximately twice as strong. as the combined fleets of 7 and Austria. while the Teutonic combina i ton has just about double the sea fight ing force of the United States, accord ing to information in the possession of the navy department The cts were ! disclosed to the House naval committee today by Capt Josiah Mcl1er tfe stan of theachief of operations
 cqr tain McKean also said the French navy was from 15 to 25 per cent ; than the American! according to the latest information. He explained that these were rough estimates, and that charts showing the specific relations of the various navies would be submitted later by Rear Admiral Benson. 4se chief of operations.
 JAPAN IS INFERIOR
 So far as is definitely known. the cap- tain told the committee, the Japanese building programme adopted several years ago, and which will not be completed for several years to come, provides for a modern fleet of eight dreadnaughts and eight battle cruisers. It was possible, he added that additional building was in progress. as all nations but the United States had secret building policies. On the strength of the known programme. however. Captain McKean said, Japan would have but i6 capital ships when the h1tt1f ing and authorized. were commissioned.
 The witness disagreed with Rear Ad- niral Grant. chief of svbmaTines. as to the adyisahility of abandoning the pres ent smaller submarine types in favor Of the SOO-ton boats He believed 30 of the large boats should be built and attached to the fleets. but that smaller ones should operate from shore bases established at frequent intervals alongs the coasts.
 Neither the Senate nor House military. committees considered preparedness meas ures today, the House committee having decided to take up the work of drafting it's federalized National Guard bill next Monday for continuous discussion until completed, while the Senate committee was diverted to other questions tempor- arily.
 CROZIER STATEMENT
 The House committee received, how ever, statement from Brig. Gen. William Crozier. chief of army ordnance. giving his views on the Tillman bin to prohibit the disclosure of military secrets. As drawn General Crozier said, the act was too sweeping and would forbid giving out information of any character whether confidential or not. He thought this un-. wise.
 Within a few days" the letter add ed, Ia case has been brought to my at tention in which an individual proposed to publish q map showing the location of all the powder factories in the United States A section should be added to the Tillman bill which would authorize the government to prohibit the publica tion of any information which would operate against it's military interests.
 CT am familiar with the statement that our government has no military secrets, which IS in great part true, although not absolutely so since this department has a few The facts result however not so much from unauthorized disclosures of confidential matter as from our own practice of spreading in reports, hearings and other public documents very full i'm
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