The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1919-04-08
BY JosEPHus DANIELS.
Secretary of the Navy.

During the war the business Of the
Navy Department expanded, but the
end of the war will not see Us go
back to the small navy which we had
when the war began. The pending
bill In Congress carries, and any bill
that passes must carry, for the pres
emit and future needs of the navy, n
five-fOld increase OF navy personnel
and naval expenditure over that which
prevailed in the early part Of 1917.
This means, of course, that we shall
not return, In employment of labor, in
the repair Of our ships, in the construc-
ton of our ships already authorized.
or any other agencies Of peace navy,
10 the conditions of two years ago.
In 1917. or the early part Of it, $4,000
skilled men were employed In our ma
Wy yards. When the amistice was
signed. there were employed $4,000.
and today $4,000. We are employing
more men in the navy yards today
than at any time during the war. and
necessarily so.
You may ask why Is this. with the
end Of the war. There are three rea-
sons. The first Is the imperative ne
cessity of repairing and altering and
eQuipping and keeping In repair for
constant service the older types Of
battleships and cruisers which we are
employing to bring soldiers back from
France. Not only that, we have fitted
out and helped TO keep In repair scores
Of transports Of the army and the Ship
ping Board Ships have returned with
many accidents. minor, to be sure. and
this has imposed heavy burden upon
the navy yards in keeping their ships
In repair
When the war began there was q
lack Of enough ships OF smaller capa-
city In the navy to engage In the new
warfare against submarines, and we
took over yachts and all kinds OF small
craft with the contract that, at the end
of the war, we would return them ia
their owners In the same condition as
we received them. We had to make
changes In these ships, and they have
had rigorous service, and that Ia a
large work which. for months, will give
employment to skilled men
With all speed, we are completing
the ships already begun. and beginning
work on those authorized by the last
Cong ress. So that with the navy, for
the next few months, there will be no
xxv,- -.-v,Io nd
skilled in shlpbuilding have jobs at
their hand at high wages. and we are
enabled, by these reasons, to tide over
the days before normal conditions will
return.
When the armistice was signed
there was a drastic necessity TO anBul
contracts or to make such readjust-
ments as would save many millions of
dollars AT the same time there was
the compulsion upon us, the strongest
In America today, that every returning
soldier should have his job when he
came back home. And In the naval
service we have seen to 1t that every
man who left our service at navy yards
or Stations to go into the war should
have his job when he came back; and
then there was the compulsion not to
discharge men who had rendered faith
full service In the war. And how have
we done this?
We have sought to give naval work
20 1t will be stop-gap In the months
before normal conditions shall return.
For example. we have In these last few
days made 1t possible for every manu-
facturer in America with small ma
chine shop to bid on contracts for the
small parts OF torpedoes We will AS
semble them. and instead OF giving d
contract to a manufacturer of torpe
does-all Of them-to single concern,
we are making 1t possible for any small |
machine shop in the country TO make a
part Of these torpedoes, assembling |
them In our new plants. So, in other
ways. we are giving work to small ra,.
tories and keeping the work going.
Now the duty comes to US in these |
days OF transition for State govern
ments to enter upon the work of pub. |
lie improvements; for city govern |
ahcnts anu lOT county governments, so L
that employment may come TO labor
until conditions In individual enter.
prises make demand for labor.
am not one of those who have
fear Of the future employment Of Ia
Dor. l am one of those who believe
that as soon as we tide over the pres
emit conditions the demands of the
world for what America makes will he
30 great that, with ships to carry our
products, there will be abundant labor
for every man In America who wishes
to work. As soon as the terms of peace
are signed and the country of Bel
gium and chat portion of France which
was devastated, begin their work of
upbuild.ng, there will be demand for
almost everything that America makes,
md he is the wise business man who,
With vision. is getting ready to supply
hat demand.