Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1919-03-08
Secretary of Navy Will Dis cuss Plans For War
 ships.
BAKER TO CLOSE
 BUSINESS OF A. k. F.
Visits PlanEcd Include London, Paris
 and Other Cities.

! Washington, March T. Secretary Daniels and a party of American nav | al experts will leave for Europe next week to discuss with allied naval of ficials the best type of capital war ships to be built in the future, based on the lessons gained in the great war. Because of conflicting opinions on this subject among American ofq Ificcrs, the secretary has bccns asked to submit a definite recommendation Ito the next congress in December.
 It also was learned today that sec ertary Baker would sail for Europe about April first, to close up the busi- , ness operations of the American Ex- peditionary forces. He will be ab- sent about six weeks and probably will arrive overseas before secretary Dan iels returns home Thus President Wilson and the heads of both the army and navy probably will be away from the country at the same tme-a situation which many officials said today was without precedent
 Other Officers Included.
 The naval secretary will be accom- panied by Rear Admirals Taylor, chief of the bureau of reconstruction dan repair; Griffin chief of the bureau of steam engineering; Earle, chief of the bureau of ordinance and Com. mander Foote, his personal aide The party will be joined overseas by Ad- miral Benson, chief of the bureau of operations who is attached to the American peace delegation, and Vice Aduiral Sims, commanding all Amer- can naval forces in European waters.
 MT. Daniels and his party will sail from New York on the transport Leviathan week from tomorrow and will go first to Paris to confer with the French admiralty. Later, they will visiit London and Rome and prob ably will be away month or more. While all deductions to be drawn from war experiences will be discuss ed in detail the American mission will address itself particularly to the question of future types of capital ships. It has been the judgement of the navy general board, charged with fixing the military characteristics of new ships, that the United States should continue to build dreadnaughts of constantly increasing power and battle cruisers. This view is held by rear-admiral Fletcher, chairman of the general board and former commander l of the Atlantic fleet.
 l FavOrs Composite Ships.
 Admiral Mayo, now commander of the Atlantic fleet. Vice Admiral Sims and Rear Admiral Rodman. the three officers who have held the highest posts of the American service in the war zone, believe, however, that a composite ship, combining the speed of battle cruiser with the gun pow been particularly impressed by Brit be substituted. These officers have CT and armor of a battleship, should ish experiments, toward composite craft with the construction of the Hood, one of the British >"hush" |ships.
 l Secretary Daniels has not taken sides in the dispute, nor have his three technical advisers, the men who will design and construct whatever ships may be decided upon, expressed any opinion. . It is the secretary's purpose to give these officers full opportunity to go into all of the involved technical E questions as to design during the trip , abroad in order that he may have the
 benefit of their advice
 Secretary Baker made two visits tC
 France during the war and haG
 planned third one immediately after
 the signing of the armistice to give
 his personal attention to the settle
 ment of many big army problems The war secretary hopes to be able } to complete the work in three weeks
 time and get back to Washington by the middle of May. While he is over f seas, Benedict Crowell, first assistan a to MT. Baker, will act as secretary o Q war.