The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1921-02-05
While House Naval Commit
tee Hears High Officers
Senate Committee Votes,
Down Borah Proposal for
Warship Building "Holi-
day.

Washington. Feb. I.-Satisfied iron
testimony Of a large number Of Wit
nesses that calling OF an internationai
conference to discuss disarmamsAt
would meet with general approval the
house naval committee to-day. called
before 1t ten high officers Of the naVy
and one Of the army and heard vast
amount Of divergent and confusing tee-
timony as to whether aircraft had made
capital naval vessels useless.
Before the committee settled doWn;
TO listen to the officers. however, Char
man Butler announced positively that
an International disarmament confAe.
ence would be called by this country.
He did not say when the call would -
out, but It was assumed from his iino
OF questioning that 1t would be shorty
after President-elect Harding. With
whom Mr.. Butler recently conferred.
takes office.
Sims for DtS Ships. -
Rear Admiral william S.. Sims, war
time commander OF all American navA4
forces in European waters, and preSent
head of the naval war college, the fifHf
witness called, counselled against tmms.
diate abandonment of the capital sho
He added, however, that II aerial totces
demonstrated the value he expected of
them to In the near future. they wouA
soon make major surface craft uSslsee
He opposed disseminating work on tne
great 1916 naval building program. ana
declared nobody Is going to Aks Nh
hand off his gun" until conditions DE-
come settled In Europe.
The superiority Of the battleship over
either the airpiane or submarine was
defended by Rear Admiral Charles Bao-
ger, head of the general board, ana 1ot.
mer commander of the Atlantic fleet
who declared that battleships and oattte
cruisers would remain the backbone ot
the fleet for years 10 come. he olo hot
believe. he said, that anything very
definite would come OF the proposed
disarmament conference. but said It was
q worth while effort.
See great supremacy.
still another view was presented b2y
Rear Admiral Bradley A. Fiske, retired,
former member OF the general board anu
inventor of the torpedo plane, who torn
the committee that aerial dreadnouHhte
would he the capital ships Of the future.
RrIgadier General William Mitchell,
chief Of training and operations or the.
army air service. called 10 tne st4AA
told the committee that II was . SimRtH'
matter for air forces TO hit and desU4G
A battleship, and repeated his testimCnt
OF last week before the appropriations
committee, to the effect that aerial de-.
yelopments had made surface naIiss
obsolete. General Mitchell cleared up
ons point that he had been causing the
committee some wonderment all day,
when he declared that data. supposed
By navy officials 10 be secret. but o!s-
closed by him before senate commit
toe. had been secured by army ofhcers
who attended the bombing OF the Old
battleshp Indiana at the invitation OF
Secretary Daniels.
General Mitchell was on the stano
when the session concluded ana WIZ
continue his testimony tomorrow.
All Of the naval officers who testified
ressed the necessity for the imned'-
ate construction Of high speed atrplane
carrying ships.
While the house committee heard this
testimony, the senate naval sub-coti-
n,ittec drafted an adverse report on the
resolution presented by Senator Borah
tRcpD Idaho, providing for q six
months suspension of naval building.
while experts study III" best types OF
ships.