Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-11-17
SENATOR BALL ON
THE PACIFIC COAST
Heads Congressional Party Which
is Investigating Naval Posi-
bilitics of Puget Sound.

United States Senator Ball of Delaware
heads n joint Congressional committee of
nine members who will determine rs re-
nilt Of their observations IN tiHee-dhy
tour of Puget Sound, what recommcnda-
tiona TO make To the national iawmaking
BODY concerning the development Of this
great inland sen as n base for all naval dc
Tense affairs on the North Pacific coast
The Senator and his party are now making
tho tour
Recommendation Of naval experts,
running over a period Of more than Two
decades and eliminating IN report of
year ago declaring the expenditure of up
wards Of $4,000, 900 necessary To realize
the navya scheme Of defense centerihg IN
Puget Sound will be Investigated by this
committee, which, already protesting great
fricndliness in the matter, will convey us
lrnpressions to the lnw-make.s at Wnah-
inRton
The joint committee Is composed oi
five Senators and five Representatives..
They are attended by three ot the lore
most naval experts IN tho country
The partv comprises: Senator l.. 81
Ball. Delaware Senator Henry W keyes
New Hampshire, Senator ] J Walsh'
! Montana. Representative Fred Bfit-
i ten. Illinois: Representative Frederick ,
Hicks. New York; Representative Danlei
/ Riordnn, New York, Representative q y.
/ B. Stephens, Ohio, and RcpraentatlVe
Iernuef + Padgett. Tennessee, with
/ Admiral r. f. Coontz, chief of naval
opcrafions Rear Admiral Washington j.
| dappa and Rear Admiral Wythc NJ Parks
and Lieut. Com II ) Hill, aide n Adj
rniral Coontz. forming tho naval part y
whose presence with tho committee was
directed i'm tho act creating the cnmmif.
gion. the meaaire providing for board q
technical exports TO accompany the sub
committee.
| Others in The party are. ". N. Conn
secretary IL the House committee q
naval affaire and secretary of the presein'
commission NJ ] Runke secretary II tQ'
Senate committee, and Thomas =.
peenny of Wilmington. private eecreta Z
senator Ball Mrs Ball and her niece
Miss Mary stellc and Mrs Peeney arc Q
the party while Mra Coontz accornpanie'
her husband.
rpon arriving at Seattle the party va
ioired bY membe of RrpresentatiV
Britten's family, his mother and Mis-
Elizabeth Bruten, his sister hey ha
come from rraho. whore they had been q
a visit 'Rhe nnlv ahscntees from the q
ficial party we're Senators Key Plttrnan {
Nevada and Miles Polndexter # Wash
ington. Senator Plttmen was unable
, meet his party NJ Seattle, but VIII Ioi
, them IN alifornin rext week
When Senator Ball, chairman RI -
committee led hls party into Seattle la'
. Monday night week, civic leaders
Seattle, az ore II them put Il, saw.
! last. a realization ~ the hopes the CT
: and the whole Puget Sound country ba'
entertained for years IN resPect 70 Piacir
. the naval station 81 Bremerfon on
parity with the stations Of the htiaht
| coast. with other places on the Sound
( fordIrg places If rendezvous Tor 2
hrnrrhca of the naval service
, All that has gore before, according
i this same speaker has consisted e =
renorts OF conclusions and recommend
tons of naval experts which Congress q
seen fl either - ignore or 70 merely pe'f
AZ IN order to keep the naval station AZ
: repair and maIntenance places from Dell
altogether covered with moss.
: WILL ACT IMNLDiATgLT
The committee. which set out Re'
q ago Yesterday on II tour of inspection,
: Obliged under the art of June 2, lSZ
Il creatl, q IT. TO submit rs report 70 Gorge
on or before January /. 1921. One q
|, members declared that 'stIch IS the nect
: sitv u promptly placing the entire Facl
{ coast in 4 state OF superior naval defeH
that there could be 20 doubt Of the Eeco'
: Inendatiors of this present touring coi
;. mlttee beng acted upon, and iavor2Dly
> before March T. next