The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-02-01

is building a new type of steel sub marine chaser, which will be ready for active service by summer, Secre- tary of the Navy Daniels told the House committee on naval affairs yesterday.
 He also informed the committee it had been decided to abandon tenn porarily the three-year shipbuilding program, so as to meet the demand for small fighting craft to combat the submarines. Hearing this members of the committee said the pending ap- propriation bill will carry no money in furtherance of big ship construc- ton, but smaller craft will be provid- ed for by large appropriations.
 The Secretary told Representative Britten he was opposed to increasing the Marine Corps force. MT. Britten declared he would offer an amend ment to provide for the enlistment of 30,000 additional marines He said this would enable the department to send at least 37,O0O to France to fight with the army.
 Chasers for Inshore Duty.
 Telling of the Ford U-boat chaser ! Secretary Daniels said:
 ''The new type of fighting ship will be between the present 110-foot wooden hull submarine chaser and the destroyers. We can get them in large numbers and get them quickly. MT. Ford is using part of his auto- mobile plant to fabricate the parts, which will be assembled and put to gether on the Atlantic seaboard. It is 1 nf ha together on the Great Lakes, since it would be an easy matter to bring them out through the canals.
 "The new craft will combine all the good points of the destroyer and the !. 110-foot chasers and eliminate the bad points of the latter They will be equipped with all modern devices
 "The new type of submarine hunter 1 will be not unlike our older destroy. . CTS, but many features will make them by far the most efficient small , vessels now engaged in the war or submarines. They are not intended for deep sea submarine hunting, bu for harbor and other inshore work , do not care to say just how many have been ordered. We have con itracted for a large number, and ca1 1. get many more if necessary.
 '@The essential thing is that the new craft promises to be a highly impor : tant factor in the fight on submarines ] The plans were perfected by an en ! gineer brought here by MT. Ford, Ad ] miral Taylor, Chief of the Bureau o
 Construction and Repair, and Con . structor Stocker. MT. Stocker wen ! to Detroit and assisted in getting tn
 fahricating work started. The nev
 ships will be motor driven, and MT ( Ford will make all the parts" z The understanding is that MT. Dan / iels plans to put $50, ,00o, 900 in the nev chasers. They are intended to talk , up the convoy of American troop ant : supply ships and Allied vessels afte 2 they arrive on the other &ide, thus re Q lieving the destroyers more quickl , than is now possible.
 The plans for the new vessels wer
 perfected during the past two week , and MT. Ford got to work immediate ly. MT Daniels said 1t would not b , necessary for MT. Ford to utilize hi 7 entire plant in the fabrication 0 parts and the construction of motor 4 for the new vessels. He said othe / 7 if necessary, but would have to pre- 4 pare their plants for the work Tn 'S Ford plant is ready and working. ', The Secretary would not give de 8 tails of the new craft Tt is know ,S they will be able to handle the dept
 bombs which have proved so satisfat
 tory in putting submarines out ( ,, business, and vii carry arnameT ,,SS sufficiently heavy to take care of tn A U-boats.
 ,o Secretary Daniels said the Adm .c ralties of Allied nations have exan ~ ined and approved the plans for u "a new American submarine hunter
 and some of them probably will gi7
 contracts for similar vessels.
 All Shipyards Busy. ,< The change in the shipbuilding pr 7z program is in line with the recon 1S mendation of Secretary Daniels in |
 annual report that authorizations f
 completing the program be deferr' % until the next Congress. The ia
 that practically all the shipbuildil F facilities are now occupied, large H in turning out ships already autho
 ized, members of the committee d clared, is responsible for the tempo A ary abandonment of more appropri 1s tions for the big ship program.
 ''The department is using it's chi E energies said Chairman Padgett, "
 the construction of torpedo boa
 destroyers and the smaller boats T
 quired in operations against the su
 marine and in preparation for t D transportation of men and equi D ment.
 With all the limp sum app1 tas priations and the additional app1 ey priations made by Congress they ha he now got all the money they c he spend.'
 lie What the Navy Costs. he Secretary Daniels submitted to t ria committee an outline of the VIC Id and money expended in putting t
 navy on a fighting basis. He & uly preparations for increases had be ley under way since the fall of 19 lite when estimates were submitted the Ire preparedness program, which V for put into operation by the act of Al ria 2s, 1916.
 oo. This foresight on the part of C. He gress and the Administration, ] lnt Daniels said, 'fs largely responsi llo' for the generally acknowledged gc
 showing the navy thus far ]
 made"
 He said that altogether there l