The Washington herald., 1916-11-20
Army and Navy News

Naval bases and stations must be es-
taolished in the Atlantic, Pacific and
Caribbean II the United States is to be
made safe from invasion. according to
Capt. A. p. Niblack, u. s. N. who re-
Gently addressed the Society of Naval
Arcnitects and Marine Engineers at
meeting in New York City.
Capt. Niblack asserts that In time OF
peace the military and naval resources
OF the country should be so constituted
as to leave only the necessity Of mob
iiization as the remaining step in STRAIT
egy II war comes.
I'VE require naval stations and naval
oases to correspond with our policies.
with our strategy, and with the require
ments OF our fleet" he said. ''It means
the expenditure Of millions Of dollars
and Is the price of that empire which Is
ours by destiny. by geography, and by
the blood this nation has already shed.
but which empire will surely crumble II
we sit back.
I'VE know what our resources and land
ana sea forces are, and also those OF
other nations. We know what our own
ana other nations policies are. Our
strategy must fit what we have, and II
we have little we can do little.
AT any rate our military and naval
I establishments are adequate when they
are superior in material and morale to
the corresponding forces of a probable or
possible enemy; correspond with the re-
quirements of the Monroe Doctrine; and
answer the main requirements Of our
strategy"
the Navy Department has completed
plans for the first naval dirigible bal
loon, but has not found a-place to build
II. The latter phase of the problem, says
Secretary Of the Navy Daniels, appears
to be much more serious than the for
mer.
The special advisory board of aeronau-
tics. OF which DR.. Charles D. Walcott.
or the Smithsonian Institution. is chair
man, is now making an investigation Of
manufacturing facilities in the United
states. This appears to disclose the fact
that the country is almost entirely with
out equipment for the construction of air
ships Of the Zeppelin type.
The Navy Department has set the fol-
lowing dates for hearing wage claims of
mechanics and laborers of navy yards:
Boston Navy Yard. December 6; Wash
ington, December Z; New York, Decem-
Der II; Philadelphia. December Is; Nor
1olk. December Il: Charlestown, Key
West. Pensacola, and New Orleans, De-
cember Is: Naval Academy, Indian Head,
and Pacific Coast stations, December 1s.
A board of army officers and civilians
under the chairmanship Of Col Francis
J. Herman, of the Twenty-eighth Infan-
try. has been appointed by Secretary of
War Baker to make a study of govern
ment manufacture of arms, munitions
and equipment, as authorized in the re-
cent national defense act. report must
, be made to Congress by January i next
Other members OF the board are Lieut.
Col. Charles P. Summerall, Field Artil-
lery: Maj. Lawson NJ. Fuller, retired;
Benedict Crowell. of Cleveland, and R.
Goodwin Rhett. of Charleston, S. C.
1T seems a pity that the issue of
petroleum reserves for the United States
Navy has, to a certain extent. been cloud
ed by legal or other claims which do not
in any way affect the broad proposition"
said Assistant Secretary of the Navy
Roosevelt in a recent addres before the
convention of the American Mining Con-
gress in Chicago.
THE chief consideration must be that
Of the good of the country from the
point OF view of national defense" he
continued.
THE very life and future existence Of
the United States navy is at stake This
may be easily proved by the following
simple statement:
"Oil-burning naval vessels possess
great advantages over coal-burning ves-
sells because Of excess of speed, abso-
Lutte control over the emission of smoke
greater radius Of action, reduction in tn
fireroom force of about 55 per cent, a.i.-
ity to refuel at sea, ability to maintain
maximum speed for as long as the fuel
lasts, and f1exibility in regard to in
creases and decreases of speed without
loss of fuel, water. and time.
consequently, reserve supply in
tankage away from the immediate coast
line for reserve in time of war. a cur
rent supply in tankage at fueling ports,
and natural underground protected re-
serve to insure supply for the future of
| oil-burning ships are Imperative