The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1916-03-01
To the Biggest Af!oat In
Year 1925.
TO keep AHEAD or GERMANY
Was Policy Adopted a Few
Years Ago-We Are Now
Third in List.
NOW AIMING TO EQUAL BRITAIN


Washington, Feb. 2G.-The OBJ.
ject of the building policy formulat.
ed in 1908 by the Navy General
Board was to keep the United states
ahead OF Germany in the race for
naval supremacy. This was Gisclos-
ed to-d.y TO ,he House Naval Com
mittee rs Esa" Adm.Ia! Charles =.
Badger, q member Of Tho General
Board, who explained that tie policy
had contemplated a feet Of forty
eight '.sc line ba,leshigs by 1919.
The statement did not 50 iato the
record Of the hearing and Admiral
Badger did not amplify il 10 show
why The beard had thought such d
course necessary.
This year the board fixed as is
policy the creation BY 1925 Of fee.
equal to the most powerful aioat a,
that time. The committee did rot
go into the boards reasons for
changing It's ideas beyond drawing
out the explanation that the board
believed fleet 10 per cent. superior
to any fighting force that might be
brought against It would be reces-
sary 10 insure against the Invasion
OF American soil by an enemy.
Under questioning by Representa-
tive Kelley, Admiral Badger said &be
construction Of three additional
dreadnoughts and eight battle cruis.
ers would place the navy on a par
with the capital ships of the Ger
man fleet to-day. Germany has now
twenty-five draadnought5 and eight
battle cruisers he said. according
20 the best available information,
While the United States has all told
nineteen ships Of the dreadnought
class built or building.
To equal Great Brltain's probable
feet within Two years, Admiral Bad
ger said the United States would be
obliged to have q total force OF 40
dreadnouEh,s, Is battle cruisers, %
swift scouting craft. 200 submarine
and $50 dcstroycrs, Such q fleet
could not BE- built in less than four
years, he added.
Representative Butler said con
struc.iou experts Of the navy had
told tho comwittoe that the maxi
mum number Of capital ships that
could be laid down at one time in
the United states wos twenty-five
and that they could be completed in
two years if the skilled labor could
be found. Admiral Badger thought
the armcr OUTPUT would not. permit
such rapid construction.
Il do not want to give the impress
sion" Admiral Badger said. that
our lcet il no GOOD. The only trou-
BILE with it is that It's not big enough
for possibilities. It's a good fleet,
well drilled, well equipped and well
organized"
Regarding the present place of the
United states feet among the navies
of the world. he said;
81 think we are No. 8. Japan is
coming along. but he's good deal
to do to equal our feet. In military
power-fghting ehiciency--I think
we are O pretty good third, with
France not far behind"
Representative Kelley questioned
Admiral Badger as to the net result
of the five-year building program
advocated by President Wilson. He
asked if it actually meant any in
crease whatever over the old Con-
gressional policy of two capital ships
year.
The Admiral was inclined to think
not. but later agreed with a state
ment of Representative Galloway
that under the old two-ships-a-year
program, II would take eight years
to authorize sixteen ships and at
least eleven years to build them, as
against eight years to build under
the five-year plan. Chairman Pad
gett said the net result of the capt.
tai ship program urged by the Adj
ministration was to add six battle
cruisers and maintain the old rate
OF building dreadnoughts.
The 35-knot battle cruisers plan
ned for the new naval program will
be the finest and most powerful