New Britain herald., 1920-03-24
NAVY DEPT. IN BAD
 WAY AT BEGINNING
Captain Laning Tells of h.
 efficiency During War

Washington, March 24.-Virtual chaos existed in the navy department at the time the United States entered the war, Captain Harris Lanins, as- sistant chief of the bureau of navi gation, testified today before the senate Investigating committee.
 Captain Laning said no one knew submitted by the bureau of opera tions had been disapproved and that the personal characteristics of the secretary of the navy often made it important policies
 'Whenever a plan or policy was presented 10 the secretary he almost invariably delayed action on it, Captain Laning declared.
 The personal interest he took in all matters continued the witness, absorbed much time that he never had much left to give to the more important affairs
 When important policies and plans were submitted to Secretary Daniels, the captain said decisions would be given to leave the papers for con sideration" and usually these instruc- tions meant the matter would not be heard from again until the office in- terested looked the papers up and then frequently the papers could not be found.
 "Conditions finally became so bad" the witness said that officers used every means possible to put their plans and policies through without obtaining the required authority.
 Amazed At Success.
 1T was and still am amazed that the navy was able to accomplish the remarkable work it did. but it is certain that what it did accomplish could have been done much more quickly and efficiently if we could have had a plan from the start
 Captain Laning said many officers found this condition to be true and he offered to furnish the committee the names of other officers who he said would corroborate his testimony in this respect.
 The witness said that at about the same time the United States declared war the office of chief of naval opera tions had prepared a plan outlining how the navy's first efforts should be directed but that it was disap- proved by the department with the result that when a plan of operations was needed the navy was without one.
 Captain Laning also told the com- mittee that the various units of the department could make coor- dinated effort to carry on the war for lack of a definite general plan; that the fleet was not ready for operations when war began and that in the Hot fa11 1n department did not take an attitude toward legislation and policies that would have prepared the fleet.
 Public Was MisIed.
 Captain Laning said that just prior to 1917 the department gave out such glowing accounts of the navy and it's splendid condition and efficiency that few if any outside the navy realized the true condition"
 The witness said he did not criti cize the departments policy as to building but always advocated in creased number of ships.
 Secretary Daniels he said, based his ideas of the navy's fitness on the total number of ships rather than on their condition or whether they were properly manned for war.
 Captain Laning asserted that while in the spring of 1917 only about half the naNy's ships had even peace time crews and that naval officers general ly conceded that the greatest need of the service then was men, the de- partment went on record against any increase in personnel
 AS for material conditions in the fleet when we entered the war; the captain added, it was found that it would take over 100 days to get all battleships of even the active fleet materially ready for war"
 The dreadnoughtS. he said, wore not sent to the yards for repairs until sev- eral months after the declaration of war
 Lack of Big Shells.
 Before the entry of the tinted States into the war. efforts were being made by the bureau of ordnance to obtain Secretary Daniels approval to contracts for 14-inch shells for the dreadnoughts Captain Laning said. After war was declared this effort was accelerated, he said, and in a letter of April 12, 1917, prepared for trans initial by Admiral Benson, then chief