Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-02-15
SENATE COMMITTEE
FRAMING BILL FOR
NATIONAL DEFENSE
Committee VIII Include Plan
to FederaIize National Guard
So as to Create Reserve De-
Tense Force
(By Associated PreI,.l


WASHINGTON, Feb. 14.--National
preparedness problems again today held
the center of the stage in congressional
committee activity
Having concluded it's hearings or
military defense questions, Chairman
Chamberlain and his associates on the
senate military committee today began
framing bill on the subject. They
were To incorporate in the measure q
plan of liberalization of the national
guard to create a reserve defense force
AS their work progresses the senate
committee proposes to confer frequently
with members of the house military
committee
Chairman Hay and members of the
house committee resumed work of re-
drafting the house defense bill to elm
mate the continental army feature and
place in it's stead the plan of federaliz-
ing state troops. o..
The house naval committee today be-
gan an exhaustive inquiry into subma-
rine warfare and the alleged shortcom-
ings Of American submarines Rear
l:Admiral Albert w. Grant, assigned by
Secretary Daniels several months ago to
command the submarine flotilla of the
Atlantic fleet, was ready to take the
witness stand and reveal the results OF
his close study of the underwater craft
His examination was expected to last
we'll into the week .
i Commander Yates Stirling, who COM
manded the feet last year and who made
startling revelations concerning the in
efficiency of the submersibles, is expect
ed to follow Admiral Grant
At the present rate of progress Chair
man Padgett. of the committee, Goes
not believe the naval appropriation bill
he dv 70
until the latter part of May. The SEN
ate naval committee will not consider
the bin until the house committee hear
ings are nearing an end
Abandonment Of the coast defense
type of submarine was recommended by
Rear Admiral Grant, before the house
committee. Limitation of cruising ra.
dius, unseaworthiness and other limita.
tions, he said, made IL advisable in fu.
ture to build sumersibles of the 1.O0l
ton fleet submarine type of which thres
have been authorized and none is yet
complete.
"They are too small to be adequately
serviceable.' he said. Admiral Grant
commander OF the Atlantic submarine
lflotilla, said he had positive knowledge
that German boats from USE to U-5S
inclusive displaced 500 tons on the sur
face as against $50 tons for the K boats
of the American navy, the largest in the
service. For months the German boats
he said, had operated out of Heligoland
around Scotland at a distance of 1900
miles from their base. 1t took. them
nine days to make the round trip he
said, and they remained on the operat-
ing station thirteen days unless driven
to base sooner through having used W
the torpedo supply. Three of the r.
boats he said, could keep the cycle work
ing so one was always on the operating
station. To do the same thing, he add
ed. the United States would require
twenty-five K class boats because Of
their Today sea service limitation.
Admiral Grant thought it unwise ia
construct any submarine of less than
20 knot speed and said this could not be
done on small boat. He urged that the
minimum size of future boats be SOC
tons surface displacement.
Admiral Grant said he had sent to the
general board within the last few days a
complete statement of his opinions as to
the military characteristics the fu-
ture American submarines should have
This will be>given to the committee Ia
ter in executive session
Admiral Grant will complete his tes-
timony tomorrow. He was followed BIZ
Captain McKeen. assistant for material
in the operations division in the navy
department, who said that so far Amer
lean Submarine experiments had not
produced satisfactory engines or motive
power for submerged running. Recent
experiments with K boats, he said, had
indicated that engine trouble would soon
be eliminated largely but that the stor-
age battery for submerged operation re-
manned the great problem to be solved.