Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1919-01-01

NAVAL FORCES TO BE
DIVIDED into TWO BIG
Says DANIELS
Admiral Benson VIII Visit
Pacific Coast To Survey
Situation Here.

Washington, JAM American nava!
forces will be equally divided into At
lantic and Pacific fleets by next sum
mer, Secretary of the Navy D.n.eis
told the house naval affairs committee
today.
The secretary also said that he end
Admiral Benson would visit the Pacific
coast soon to survey the situation there
with view to putting the new plan
into operation.
The Pacific fleet at present is prac-
tically stripped and its ships and equip
ment added to the Atlantic fleet, be-
cause Of war conditions.
Daniels pointed out that under the
new plan of dividing the forces inlo
equal parts, Ae, navy would be kept at
top NOTCH by competition and rivalry
between the two forces.
Keep Main Air Stations.
The navy will keep one main air sta
tion at San Diego and another at Pen
sacila, the secretary said, adding that
no additional stations would be built
now. A training K stion r,r the marine
corps will also be kept at San Diego
and it is probsblerhat the naval train
| ing station at Goat Island will be trans
fe~red San Diego or some other south
ern California port Final decision on
this matter will De reserved until Dan
iels visits the coast ,he said. Daniels
also gave the committee statement on
Japans' naval strength. He shows that
Japan has l3 battleships with four
building Or projected, seven battle
cruisers, ten cruisers 16 light cruisers
with seven building or projected, &c
destroyers with 23 more building and
16 submarines with 27 building.
Asks About Conditions.
Representative Hicks of New York
asked Daniels about reports of the un-
sanitary condition of the marine corps
camp at Brest
Daniels replied that the printed sto.
ries were Every sensational" ana tnat
General Butler has been officially rec
commended to him for making the con-
ditions at the camp toierable
Representative Butler of Pennsylv
ia, fatner of General Butler, who was
mentioned by Daniels, discussed the
condition of the camp, but both Dan
iels and Butler requested that what
tney said should not be printed Their
remarks, however, tended to confirm
seO4I,s mat the conditions st Brest were
very bad. AT on time, it was $, Itt
ing the discussion that the Marines had
taken hay away from the horses 10
make beds for sick soldiers. Daniels
ended the discussion by pointing out
that the marines were under direction
ofthe army the moment they landed in
France.
The committee was then handed pro-
posed legislation putt So the permanent
strenfth of the mGriue corps at e6,297,
about 5000 more than the present au-
thorized permanent strength, but about
Dne-half of the present temporary
Soon in Permanent Stations
The marines, Daniels said, would
soon be taken out Of the New York
and Mare Island navy yards ami p,,.o>a
1t the permanent marine stations at
San Diego, Paris Islnd, S. G.. and Guam
leo. The station for advance training
will be at Quantico and the other two
will be used for preliminary training.
Daniels declared that the buying of
q acres of land at the New York navy
Tard was absolutely necessary He
Isked s2,500,000 for this purchase, stat
ng that the New York yard would al
ways be the most important one. Delay :
n the purchase would interfere with
laval construction, Daniels said.
Explaining the need for land at New-
'ort, R. l., the secretary said that he
damned to establish one Of the base ]
assega naval training stations there.
Che ar two are 10 be at Hampton
Roads and Chicsgo.
Dan'nis asked fer construction Of G
iater system at Key West, Fla, at
sss of S2,0l0 900, dcclarias that Key
Vest was one southern psts adapted
Or u base The o,hes tae bases, he
aid, would be kept at New London,
conn.,, and San Diego.