Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-12-16
$500, 900, 900 Asked
For Naval Program
By Frederic j. Haskin

! Washington, d. g., Dee. I3.-The
t Secretary of the Navy has asked Congress
! for six hundred million dollars for adj
! ditional naval construction, constituting
a second "three-year program
/ This IS simply the next step in carrying
on the policy inauglrated in 1915, before
/ this country entered the war for increas- I
ing the size Of the Navy The work Of the
Navy does not end with the war There is
still a large American merchant marine 70
| protect, and there will be, it IS hoped, q
/ league Of nations, the decrees Of which
| will have 70 be enforced upon disobedient
nations by the navles Of the world.
Thinking Americans are strongly in
favor Of powerful navy. II the United
| States had had an adequate navy in 1914,
| the war might have been over long be
! fore this, but II has taken a great deal Of
F., bitter experience 70 make US realize the
| necessity of keeping our weapons sharpened
I Before the war, the Navy Department was
able 10 secure appropriations for one Or
| two new battleshIps every wear only after
prolonged agitation and hagglIng with
Congress Sometimes IL asked for two,
and got only one
FTRsT BIG PROGRAM.
In 1916, however. when our participa- /
ton ID the war began 70 appear inevitable.
the first big naval program was received |
by Congress. if not with enthusiasm, At I
least with tolerance The Navy succeeded
IN getting a three-vears appropriation (
for the construction of l5b ships. These !
three years will be up on the first OF next !
Juy. and the Navy Is now requesting the
money for another three-yeAr program IN
Guiding the same unmDer Of ships.
- > t4sar
in the first three-vear program have not
yet been completed. partly because il /
takes q long time 70 build modern battle
ships. and partly because TINS work mas |
been thrust INTO the back ground by q /
greater emergencv-th submarine Situa- /
ton DeStrovers have had 10 be 0uIIt /
instead and smaller craft. Ike the Eagle /
boats and Sub-chaserS. capable ol COM I
batting submarines.
In the period that this country has been |
at war, over fifteen hundred craft have
been added TO the Navy. In addition
10 the many destr0yers and Sub-chaSers
built, the Navy has taken over hundreds
Of vessels merchantmen, yachts, tugs,
motor craft, and All kinds that could be
converted into the various types of vessels
needed.
The nterned German vessels have been
repaired and put into service as troops
transports and supply ships. The United
States Navy TO-DAY has SIX lines as many
ships as ID had at the beginning 81 the !
European war, and ten times Is large a
personnel. Including marines and NJ
serves, there are nov GOO 900 Officer, and
men in the naval service. Including ne
Marine Corps, which is part ct the NaNA.
although in France il fights with the army,
the Navy has more men than ali the navics
e -, h.3 h.af NtN
began in 1914.
BRITAIN ONLY LEADS e. :.
Great Britain alone stall keeps ahead Of
us, but the British Navy had a tremendous
lead before the war For years i has been
England policy t. MAINTAIN 3 t0o-navy
standard In other worlds, Il held the
idea that IN order properly 70 protect is
worldwide possessions, II should have a
navy as strong as any other TWO navles in
the world And this idea was consistently
carried out even though i becomes cN-
tremelv difficut and expensive when the
German government began 70 add greatly
to the size Of IFS navy. For every ship
that Germany huilt Great Britain en-
deayored 10 build two. While the British
navy today has got as many men on its
rolls as the American Navy, It's tonnage is
much larger
The French navy, while very pthCiCat 1
has not been increased in the same pro-
portion as the British and American navi 8
France fighting for its very hfe has had
To devote Its principal energies 10 ITS
army, and has moi been able TO build shlps :
on the same huge scale as have the British
and Americans The Italian navy, while
not 20 large us the Others has been greatly
strengthened and improved. and did
splendid work IN the Mediterranean and
Adriatic, where it destroyed the Austrian
naval base at Durazzo.
PERfokMEp hIG rAsh.
The carrying Of millions of american
troops 5000 miles overseas has been
As "the biggest transpor- !
tation job on earth. This task was en- |
trusted 10 the navy which mans and
operates all our troop ships and large :
Of the vessels carrying mu-
nitions and supplies to our armies over
seas. So well h. S hist 81 oet perform 4
th not single American troop 81
under American convoy has been sunk
on the way to France
The British navy has given the great
est assistance III troop transportation,
furnishing many fast liners for this pur-
pose. 4 few Of these British ships. not g
ably the Tuscania the Moldsvia and The |
Persic, have been sunk. but the total !
loss OF life IN the transportation Of !
: 100000 soldiers has not been as large l