Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-12-09

Of small arms, trimming during the wear,
| 40, ,OCO 900 rounds having been fired with
| out an accident due to cArelcssnex. Since
! last July, the navy has qualified 4 ,147
marksmen, 1922 sharpshooters and H.
| S67 expert riflemcn.
| TRAINED MAN AT EvERY rosr.
Today" the report says, practically
every conbatant ship is able to organize
n landing force Of as many men as it can
send ashore, with every man trained
rifeman and many of them trained ma
| chine gunners."
To Captain L. p Jessop, engineering
! officer at the New York Navy Yard, the
report gives credit for having recommended
/ the revolutionary practice of electric
| welding when repair of the damaged Ger
man shipping was undertaken. Careful
| estimates have shown that this one in
| novation saved IL months in time and
| 500, 900, 900 in money, while the ships
| thus made quickly available, carried half
| a million soldiers in France.
Another engineering achievement OF
the year is the completion and testing OF
the first electric drive battleship, the New
Mexico Despite adverse criticism which
met the determination to employ this
mechanism, on battle craft, the report
saws, the new RlCNltti Has itbb OlbS 1Dtb
every requirement, but has passed many
additional tests with the result that I'm
this UNIQUE vessel. the United States
Navy has a battleship which has no peer
IN the worlds navics, not only for econ
omic propulsion and less liability to
serious arrangement, but her military
superiority In greater maneuvcrlng power
and increased underwater protection
Credit is given Rear Admiral Griffin,
engineer in chief OF the navy, for this ac-
complishment.
YEARS CONTRACT FOR NEW CRAFT.
The report shows that four battleships,
one battle cruiser, two fuel ships, one
transport, one gtinboat, one ammunition
shin. 223 dcstroycrs, SIS submarines, 112
fabricated patrol boats (eaglcs) including
- for the Italian government. 92 sub
marine chasers, including so for France
81 mine sweepers, and numerous tugs and
harbOr craft were contracted tor during
the wear. Up to October | one gunboat,
% destrovcrs, % submarines. 26 mine
sweepers and four eagles had dbeen launch
ed The additions To the navy during the
wear included two battleships, 80 de-
Stroyers, 2S submarines, 355 submarine
chasers and Is mine sweepcrs. The actual
number Of 40 foot chasers now in com
mission, including those delivered to
France, IS 406.
DISCUSSING the navv's accounting sys-
tenn, Secretary Daniels saws 81 ,000,o
was saved during the year by examination
of costs in tIxcd-prlce contracts and CON
troll over the Cost-pltis agreements lie
C0mmcnds highly the work Of Rear Ad-
miral Mct;oWan, paymaster general and
head of the Supplies and Accounts Bureau,
and expresses the opinion that the navy
has received and Is receiving full value for
every dollar expended.
The report also paws tribute to the
patriotic cooperation the department has
received from shipbuIlderS, munition
manufacturers and the heads Of all the
allied industries.
PRAISES CAPTAINS AND WORKERS.
II wish these captains Of industry"
Mir Daniels says, ITO understand the
appreciation of the Navy Department OF
their wonderful accomplishment And
the country should know how they lacked
IN nothing of thought and effort IN naval
efficiency. Not a few OF them undertook
anv work desired with willingness To
leave the question Of profits 10 the gov
crnmcnt, putting their plants and re-
sources At the government 5 disposal
lskDOr mas SNOW II ilSfli tpNa4t LAt itkrlIb
continues, and workmen at the yards have
many times refused 10 leave vital en-
plovment there for better pay elsewhere
In addition when relations between
capital and labor appeared to have reach
ed critical stages at times during the rush
Of war work the trades at the navy yards
addressed resolutions TO the department
50 clearly defining their belief that the
duty OF all loyal American workmen lay
in securing maximum production, without
regard 10 selfish considerations OF personal
betterment as 10 have no slight effect IN
bringing both sides IN controversies gong
on outside the wards TO a realization OF the
need Of forgetting their disputes,
The secretary holds much OF this salts
factory condition 10 have been due 10 the
.ioyaI CO. operation Of the heads OF the
American Federation Of Labor.
GRATEFUL FOR COOPERATION or PRESS.
MI Daniels expresses appreciation Of
the work done by George Creel chairman
OF the Committee on Public Information,
and has this TO say OF the American press:
''The most intimate relationship be-
tween MIR Creel and the Department has
been productive Of genuine cooperation
IN service that was new IN our country,
and not easy To carry out successfully.
The spirit Of the press, which patriotic
ally responded 70 the appeal for voltn
tary censorship, can not be too highly
commended There was full freedom IL
the press with full recognition by the press
Of the government : desire 10 withhold no
information that did not disclose military
secrets The press had an appreciation OF
this necessity and. though having knowl-
edge Of movements Of ships and troops
violated confidence On the other hand
the press gave helpful suggestions which
were invaluable 10 MIR Creel and tue de
rartucnt -