The sun., 1918-12-13

training Of operating forces Of the two
types render Il difficult II not Inn
possible efficiently to combine and ad-
minister tho two"
Navy Personnel for 1910.
Aviation personnel in the navy I'D
to three weeks ago. the Admiral said.
showed 1875 pilots abroad, S31 at home.
400 officers, exclusive OF pilots abroad,
and $40 at home, while there were
9.912 student officers in the United
States. OF the enlisted personnel, 49,
$40 were abroad and 1878 at home.
The following personnel OF the navy
required for 1919. prepared by the
| chief of naval operations, was stated
by the Admiral:
Enlisted men, including aviation,
training and instruction schools, &C.,
1898; for July /, 1920. 21s.4s3; for
overseas transportation service, trans
ports and cargo (reserves), 1894;
hospital corps. 7.647. Grand total. &c.,
044.
December /. 1918, there were in the
nevy the following officers: Regular,
permanent, commission. line, 2,544;
regular, permanent. commission, stan.
1904.
'On the basis of 137,4S5 enlisted men
In the regular establishment" said Ad-
miral Badger. there should be 5,499
commissioned line officers, leaving a
shortage OF 2.945. There is a corre-
spending shortage in the stan corps"
December l, 1918, there were in the
navy: Temporary commissioned ON
GERS OF the line. s,247: temporary COM
missioned officers Of the stan. s94; re-
serves. commissioned hne and staff.
2o.5so. or a grand total Of 2s,s2e.
Yards Available for Building.
From 500 to 1000 OF the officers
needed to relieve the shortage can be
obtained from the reserve, the Admiral
said. New legislation will be necessary
/. to permit 1t. however. Eight hundred
! officers year from the Naval Acad-
envy may be expected after next June,
1t was pointed out. Only 40 will be
graduated then, however.
Now is the time to take advantage OF
the possession OF facilities to build a
| fleet, the Admiral pointed out The big
merchant ship programme had made II
possible now to put those yards to
work on naval building as fast as they
are released from merchant building.
In effect. 1t was shown to the COM
mittee, three OF the so-called three
year programmes" are necessary to
make the American fleet the equal Of
any in the world and sufficiently strong
to protect the long American coast line
from any enemy, and at the same time
enable the American merchant fleets
to keep the seas under any conditions.
Included in this plan are the three
year programme authorized three years
ago, the programme now sought and
another programme to complete the
project.
In answer to questions from Repre-
sentative Kelley (Mich.), the Admiral
declared that England and the United
States between them have a sufficient
navy to police the whole world.
why Is 1t necessary. then, TO build
any more ships?" Mr.. Kelley asked.
1T would not be IL we are willing TO
let some other nation look after our
interests" said Admiral Badger
Would Fear No Nation.
The Admiral was asked why II was
necessary to have a navy as large AS
any other in the world. and he replied:
we don't have to have to De in fear
of any nation in the world"
The ships of Great Britain took a
million American soldiers TO France,
the committee was told, while Ameri-
can ships transported about 100000.
When the armistice was signed. Ad-
miral Badger said, the German navy
included nineteen dreadnoughts of tho
latest types, with seven more in proc
ess OF construction. The peace con-
ference will decide on the disposition
OF these vessels, the committee was in
formed.
III England gets the biggest portion
OF the German fleet, do you still think
we should build to point where we
should have n navy equal to hers?"
Mr.. Kelley asked.
'The necessity is as great now as it
ever has been for the United States
Navy to be equal to any in the world"
! the Admiral responded. This may
not be possible by 1925 II the German
ships are distributed in large numbers
| to certain other countries. but We
should do it as speedily as possible"