Evening star., 1920-12-14
DANIELS REPEATS
PLEA FOR BIG NAVY
World Chaos" Shows Need
of Aircraft and Ships, He
Tells Committee.

Declaring that world conditions of
chaos, disagreement and trouble"
made continuation Of naval aircraft
building by the United States i'm
perative, Secretary Daniels today be-
fore the House naval committee. reit-
Grated his recommendation for an
American Navy equal to any other in
the world and asserted that 1.-The
United States must protect what 1t
has"
No one knows the future relations
Of the nations of the world" said Mr..
Daniels. TT would be blunder al
most equal to crime for the United
States to enter into an alliance with
any two or three nations either to sus-
pend or curtain naval building or for
any other purpose. 1t would certain
ly make for suspicion among the 9TH
er nations OF the world
Cannot Afford "Holiday."
II profoundly believe that the United
states cannot afford to take a five
year naval holiday as it has been
rumored England and Japan will sug-
sest to this country. I wish that we
could have world agreement that
would settle disputes without re-
course to arms. but until that comes
and comes surely we ought to carry
out our naval building program"
Mr. Daniels again approved the gen.
eral boards recommendation for
new three-year building program to-
.allng eighty-eight ships and urged
that the 1916 program be expedited.
few additional rounding out" minor
vesseis ought to be authorized at
once. Whlle the committee is consid-
ering new building legislation, he
said.
Quotes Senator Harding.
Mr; Daniels quoted speech of Sena-
tor Harding's at Norfolk, Va, recent
~, with regard to American naval
policy, and said that he was in COM
plete agreement on this subject with
the President-elect. His recommends
t!onS Tor new construction were made,
M. Daniels said, after a close study
o! world conditions on the part of
visers
"A chain is only as strong as it's
Secretary. II have recently returned
from trip to Alaska and to the Pa
cine cine where we have far-nung inter
States should not be dependent on any
nation. but should have a Navy equal
to any in the world"
Admiral Coontz Heard.
Admiral Coontz, chief Of naval op-
eraeions. was asked what the rela-
tive naval strength of England. Japan
and the United States would be if
the three countries were to imme-
dtateiy suspend all naval building.
He replied that England has S64. 600
tons of capital ship displacement
completed, the United States 46S, 900
tons and Japan $4,000.
He was notified that he would be
expected to appear before the COM
mtttee in executive session tomor-
row to go more completely into the
situation. And was told to bring the
committee then figures that would
snow the relative naval strength of
the principal powers In 1929.
UrEes War College Transfer.
Removal Of the Navy War col,eee
from Newport, r.. l., to this CITY was
urged by Secretary Danieis He rec
commended the construction ef a
building here for the college that
would also serve az a memorial to
the Nays service In the world war.
The committee seemed to accept the
suggestion favorably and Mr.. Daniels
was asked to draft q bill fncorporaf-
ing his idea. which Chairman butler
said he would introduce later. r. was
also suggested that the War College
personnel be housed IN the new Navy
building here pending the efeckion OF
the proposed new building.