The Washington herald., 1920-12-13

Continued from Page One, First Section.
has proved this criticism unfounded
and that developments of the past
year have confirmed the conclusions
of the department that battlcships
were still the backbone Of the
fighting feet and this is no time for
their abandonment"
On this point the report reads
further:
Battieship Ii Bnekboae.
The capital (bsttleship) of the
present day is the lineal descendant
of a development from the ship OF
the line of a century ago. New
types have arisen, as when the ar
mor-clad came into existence, but
the battleship or it's equivalent has
always survived. There always
have been those searching for
something simpler and with the de-
velopment of every new weapon en-
thusiasts have claimed that the bat
tleship has been rendered obsolete.
1t was so with the torpedo boat; it
was so with the submarine; it is
so now with the development Of
aircraft. History has shown, how
ever. for every weapon developed
against the battleship, adequate de-
Tense has been found
In the Secretary's recommends
tions for increased armaments a
new type of fighting craft makes
its appearance. This is the super
destroyer or destroyer leader of
which he proposes the construction
of eighteen. The destroyer leader
Is the outgrowth of the destroyer
which waas used so effectively
against the submarines during the
war. Although of the destroyer
class it is, as its name implies. a
larger and more powerful weapon
than the ordinary destroyer. carry
! ing heavier armor and more guns.
and is designed to meet the need
for a swift. light and easily ma
neuvered fighting ship.
In conjunction with the expan-
sion of the departments aircraft
program, the report discloses that
IL has undertaken the construction
of a giant flying boat, larger than
any now in existence.
Would Center Control.
Naval aviation" the report reads
| will, in. the not distant future,
possess an importance second only to
that of our ships. Neither lack OF
funds nor of any organization fitted
to it's needs should be allowed to
hamper this youngest and most i'm
portant branch of the service"
One Of the most important rec
concentrations contained in the Dan
iels report is tHet all the Marine
activities of the government should
be combined under the Navy Depart
ment. "Americs," 1t says, should
have but one navy. At present there
are various little navies, seagoing
activities conducted under the su-
pervision of different departments
whose vessels could be far more
Iadvantageously operated under. a
single control"
Under this plan the Shipping
Board would cease to exist, and Its
great feet of 1910 steamships would
be operated and managed by the
Navy Department.
That department would also as
sumo COnlTOl sOl thC tiehopOAN ~
tenn and the Harbor Service, now
maintained by the War Department
as well as the Coast Guard and Pub
lie Health Service maintained by
the Treasury Department. boats op-
Grated by the Bureau of Fisheries
and the Department of Labor.
Altogether the Secretary recon-
mends that the navy take over aux
accommodating faWa
than 2,70O vessels. The report
takes cognizante of the mainte-
nance of a powerful fleet in both the
Pacific and the Atlantic, which was
inaugurated a little over a year ago
as one of the soundest military pol
fcies adopted in recent years, and
one that has been completely justi-
fed. In line with this step Secre-
tary Daniels now proposes the es-
tablishment of an operating base at
Hawaii large enough to accom-
modate the entire feet with auxil-
Iiaries."
The recrAdescence of hazing at
Annapolis apparently Is an espe-
cially sore subject with Mr.. Daniels.
He saws the practice is ruinous to
discipline and suggests that the haz-
ing raw be amended so that a cadet
may be expelled for one offense in
stead of for more than one as is
now the case. He also expressed
the opinion that in the near future
all of the candidates for Annapolis
will come from the enlisted person.
mel and urges as step in that di.
rection that the course be length
ened to one of five years and that
every midshirman be required to
spend a year at sea before he Is
commissioned.
Mr.. Daniels concludes with a
lengthy attack on the proposal for
the creation of a general staif within
the navy. He points out that IL
would mean the abolishment of the
bureau system and virtually the
naming Of two men 20 do one mans
work.