El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-05-11

w This letter is a story Of industrial
efficiency. Moreover IL is the story
Of a government department at Wash
iugton- It seems the accomplishment
of the impossible The department
with which it is connected evidently
realizes this. At least it seems so,
for its business manager has a card
which reads as follows:
It Can't BE Done.
But Here II Is.
The department refer 70 is that
Of the United States navy When the
var began most Of the branches Of
Uncle Sans big machine were SO tied
un with red tape that the wheels
could move only so fast and no fas-
ter The wheels Of the navy began
10 buzz as soon as the power was
turned on and they whizzed on like
q dynamo as more power was de-
handed According TO the report Of
the subcommittee on commerce of the
house Of representatives which has
been investigating the subject. the
American navy stands without paral-
Tel in efficiency. and its system. or
gauized i'm the time Of peace. is work
ing equally wei in these times OF
war This report states that the SOC
600 men and 100 ships now I'm the
service are as promptly and rs wei
provided fOr as were the $4,000 men
and the goo ships which we had be-
fore the war began II says that the
navy Is adequately clothed. fed and
equipped. and the vast appropriations
made are being economically and
wisely spent it tells CONGRESS that
al IS wei with the fleet and that the
1918 destroyers viii be built i'm from
one third 20 one half the time pre-
scrlEad by preWar conditions.
Indeed 7 doubt II more compli-
1rHr1H
meur department has ever been made
lv any congressional iuTesti eating
committee. and on the heels OF IL the
committee on naval affairs asks for
.-5-QHo.oe0 TO be spent during the next
fiscal year OF this about 10000.
0o0 Is for ammunition and SleS. 5000.
GOO for aviation alone.
Beats JOnah's Gourd-
Thirteen hundred and twenty five
million dollars TO be spent in u
months That gives you some idea
Of the enormous growth Of our naval
Establishment. The gourd which
EurauE up In q night by the walls of
% sit In its shadow, or the DeanStalk
upon which Jack climbed into the
heavens 10 XIII the great giant was
as nothing 20 the expansion Of our
great fighting machine OF the seas.
n IS row a year since war was de-
eIared. and the civil establishment OF
tie navy has increased more than 500
per cent while the money spent is
considerably more than 1000 per cent
Thirteen hundred and tWeutT five
million dollars, that means more than
fl9a-90o-110 a month. II means more
-ian s5.600-000 q DAY or more than
fL5l.000 an hour. day and night all
the year through
have before me figures showing
fhe cost Of the navy since George
Washington was president down to
tEe time we entered the war The
flrs- records are for 1884 The to-
raI amount spent on the navy during
that year was less than one half as
much as we now spend I'm one hour.
IN the war OF 1919 we became IA
nous as having the most daring sea
lighters on earth Under Capt. John
PAIL Jones we defeated the British
terror OF Europe During that war
our Yearly eTpences were never as
much as they VIII be in any three
dlVe O. 1918 During the civil war
the eUuenditures Of the navy began
NJ a little more than 81. 100000 per
luuum- and IT IT'S close the yearly
cost vas not much more than we are
now spending each month Our total
the whole war with Spain was less
char sl6s-000.000 and that sum COW
cred three years We shall spend
more within the next five or six
ships All Different Now.
And than the size Of the navy and
the change in the shipping. The yes
sells OF the war Of the revolution were
not much bigger than our harbor tugs
now and their cannon were pOpguus
"a comparison with the IL inch mon
sters OF the present day dreadnougnt-
The largest ships we had in our
war With Tripoi and those in the
war Of 1872 were not half as big as
are now building, and the largest
vessel OF the Mexican war was Of
only about 5000 tons. The beginning
o. the armored ship dates back 20
che struggle OF the Monitor and the
Aerrimac during the civil war. and
the biggest battleship we had during
the war with Spain was the Oregon,
Of little more than 1000 tons.
piEmy IN comparison with the Idaho,
Of $4,000 tons or some OF the big
battle cruisers now being built in our
navy yards
Big On All the Word Implies
The navy Of today is a big navy In
eEerT sense that the word implies
When the European Wsr began IL
rsnred third IN the order OF Warship
tonnage among the worlds navies
although d dropped far behind that
before we entered the war. Since
graphic speed. and with the present
program aud the mighty expenditures
nov making L probably VIII be sur
passed only bE the navy Of Great
Britain when the war closes
In order TO tell you how this big
naval eEra1 llEhmenr Is managed. and
how the enormous expenditures are
handled, ] have spent some days IN
going through the various bureaus
The department IS wide open and
there is 10 trouble in finding out
how business IS done. The bureau Of
supplies and accounts. which has to
DO with feeding and clothing the
navy, with the purchase Of all its
materials and the paying Of all the
bills. IS under rear admiral Samuel
MCGOWAN. who had held HIS position
several years before the war began,
and had put the department on a war
basis
iu one system for peace and another
says that g peace time navy is like
e policeman without g club. For this
reason the navy has been on a war
basis ever since secretary Daniels
took charge II has been run on the
motif 81 John @ Calhoun when he
was secretary Of war in the cabinet Of
president Monroe. AR Calhoun said
that his business was ITO get ready.
and stay ready all the time" voicing
che same spirit as that Of the young
officer in command Of our first TO
tllla % destrovers sent abroad last
scar. Upon the arrival Of the ships
ir Euglaud the English admiral
asked this officer when his ships
would be ready 10 start fighting the
submarines. He replied I'VE are