Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1918-12-20
BRITAIN AND i. s. TO
POLICE THE SEAS
Time to Increase Navy, Admiral
Badger Says.
FLEET is ALREADY GREAT
Asks House Committee for Money eo
Mska n as LARGE as That OF
FLEET IS ALREADY GREAT
Asks House Committee for Money to
Make 1t as Large, as That OF
Any Country-Sunk 157
Submarines.

Washington. Dec 13.-AnproprIa-
| lions to provide Il navy for the Uniteu
! States by 1929 as large as that OF any
| country was urged by Admiral Badger
Of the general board of the navy De-
| fore the house naval committee. he
declared the United States and Eng
| land together could police the seas
One hundred and fifty German ano
seven Austrian submarines were sunk
| in the war prior to August AdmiraI
Badger told the committee, quoting re-
ports from Admiral Sims. He saiu
that the Germans had built 33l suDma-
rines and that the Austrian underwa-
| ter fleet comprised only 30 eraft. ten
| of which were obsolete. On August
| last. Admiral Badger said, the Ger
mans had l19 submarines operating In
| the Atlantic and IS in tile Mediter-
ranean. while at the same time AUS
tria had 10 in the Mediterranean.
| Had the United States been fight
| ing alone In the present war. the an~
miraI said. its lack of ships wouid
have been serious and perhaps fatai,
because it has been learned that the
navy must be strong enough not only
to protect from invasion, but also TO
drive the enemy's navy from the seas
Now the Time to Build Fleet.
He told the committee that the
country never has been and probably
never will be again, as well prepared
to build a powerful fleet as at present.
Hundreds of thousands of men have
become skilled in shipyards which
have been building vessels for the mer~
chant marine, he said, and as fast as
these yards are released from that
work the training and experience or
these men sho;.ld be utilized to the
greatest extent possible.
Admiral Badger said the general
board had recommended before the
armstice. instead of the three-yeaT
program, as recommended by Secre-
tary Daniels. a siX-year, providing for
the construction OF II 3attleships and
II battle cruisers.
The question vas asked Admiral
Badger whether Great Britain favored
construction of large navy by the
United States, and whether the state
ment of Lord Geddes that the United
States should assume Il larger part in
the protection of the seas" referred to
peace times as well as during the war;
Admiral Badger replied that he did
not know what England's desire now
is.
England and U. S. to Police Sea.
Representative Kelly asked whether
England and the United States 90
gether had large enough navies to po-
lice the seas. Admiral Badger said
they had.
"Then it isn't necessary for the
United States to make great additions.
is it?" he asked
"No, not If the United States wants
to depend upon another nation for it's
protection" Admiral Badger answered,
The admiral said 1t was the inten-
ton of the general board to maintains
adequate forces both in the Atlantic
and Pacific coast of the country from
now on. The Eagle type of patrol
boats has proven very satisfactory
he said, and can be used to great adj
vantage.
Foe Had Sc Capital Ships.
Germany had So capital ships In her
navy, including 10 dreadnaughts, when
the war began, and had seven other
dreadnaughts under construction, Adj
miral Badger said. He added that he
believed work on the seven was dis
continued and material was used for
submarine construction.
The question Of disposal of the sur
rendered German fleet. the officer said,
should be left to the peace conference.
at is a question of policy for the.
peace conference to determine wheth-
er the ships shall be distributed, de-
stroyed or returned" said he
Records of the sinkings of German
submarines are more or less mac
curate the admiral said because there.
Is no definite information of destruc-
ton of the crafts by mines. He said
British ships had picked up Germans
from submarines that supposedly had
been sunk, but later 1t was learned, !,
that the submarines made port and
were repaired.
The German gun that shelled Paris
was "15-inch or one reduced to nine"
Admiral Badger said.