The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-07-23
POWERFUL NAVY
PEACE GUARANTEE
Admiral Coontz Would In
sure World Quiet by
Display of Force

|toau navy second 90 mono In strength
of material and porSuuuel, trained
ITO tho highest efficiency and main
/ tanned iu readiness, II the surcst
support for the decisions of our
/ statesmen and the best guarantee
/ for tho urodominauCe ot Justice, de-
/ Claros Admiral Robert T. Coontz,
writing u the current issue uf tho
American Legion Weekly
/ Tho various treaties concluded az
. tho Washington Arms Conference.
Admiral Cuuu,z ASSERTS. wcro mad"
iu tho interest of peace, and m"
United States "c1n IN afford at this
time, either in our own interest or
100 tho interest OF the world at large
to withdraw from n position whorc
We can speak clearly and with au-
thority I'm world councils
THE primary object uf tho wash.
luEfOn conference was TO discuss
ways and means NJ reducing and,
% possible eliminating navy build
/ IuE competition" continues tho nav
.al official "Thc naval treaty
drawn up az this conference cstnb-
lishce. tor the first timc In tho his-
tory of our country a naval policy
/ for tho United Statcs THIS policy
as established and confirmed by the
Ratification of the treaty by the SON
ate. declares tina t'hc naval strength
|Of tho United states shall be equal
Ito that OF Great Britain and superior
THAT ut Japan TN tho ration of 10
3 The treaty applies this policy by
placing tonnage limitations upon
1.-TWO typps of vessels. The United
States viii be required to scrap thir-
teen capital ships upon which more
than third OF u billion dollars
have been expended"
"a n
mediatcly what connection this has
! with the matter Of efficiency ana
especially with the plea the navy
has been making, in the name or
efficiency. for an enlisted person
mol " not less than $4,000 men,
There seems TO be n general IN
preston that the treaty navy consists
of eighteen hattlcships. AT least five
plane carriers, and all the cruisers,
dcstroyCrs. submarines. mining ships
aud auNiliarlcs we choose to build,
provided the specifications arc kept
within certain limits. fleet, TO bo
a wcll-balanccd fighting organiZa 10
tlon, consists Of several types OF wea
pons, of which the hsttleship
b. tho most important. The ship IN
the backbone Of the fleet but must
be effectively supported by many
other types Of subsidiary weapons,
from airplanos to submarines.
Tho Course of Folly.
while II Is true that with $1,000
mcn-tho number the house commit
tee reported az, In their opinion. ad-
.cquate 10 maintain the treaty navy
we could man eighteen battlcships.
with this number OF men we could
not man efficiently the other typos
OF ships necessary to make up n
balanced fleet. And H. would be
sheer folly to provide for anything
loss than a l00-por cent efficiency
fleet.
Germany spent millions to build
Ia navy so per cent as strong az the
British when war was declared IN
.l9l4, what happened2 Germany was
compelled to withdraw her fleet
excepting Fubmarlnce) from the
high seas. The great German mer
chant marine was forced to seek
refuge in home ports or In the ports
of neutral powers. The British. hay-
Ing control Of tho seas. were thus
able TO rush TO the western front
troops from their distant possessio ons
from Australia, from New Zea-
land, from India, from South Africa
from Egypt. from Canada and from
the British Islands In the Carrlb-
bean"
Naval Battles Not Abolished.
Naval battles Of the future were
mot abolished by the reductions and
Limitations placed upon naval build 70
ing programs by the conference Mt
"aGh.Dgt on, Admiral Co0ntZ nsseria.
FOR. Of course, naval battles can be
fought just as well with small fleets
as with proportionatoly larger ones.
Competition among the navles Of tho
world was not eliminated by the
conference, he continues, pointing
ont. however, that the competition
OF capital ship building has been
curtaincl"
"But this competition f. now ~,
IpcrGcded by new race TO SEQ
which country can maintain its ships
at the highest degree Of individual
and collective efficiency" the ad
miral explains. THE naval ratio
cannot bo maintained by the mere
existence Of tonnage laid up in navy
yards, II can be maintained only by
keeping n fleet I'm commission equal
10 that Of Great Britain and by keep.
ling the personnel upon these ships
AZ the highest state OF efficiency
Tho old saying that men fight. not
ships Was never truer than At the
present day,
Fleet efficiency can be obtained
only by continual hard work al
its Individual duties OF tactics gun
merry and engineering After this ID
accomplished the individual ships
must be nodded into larger units
and trained In their duties as units
Then the various forces, such as
.the destroyer force, baftleHhip force
submarine force and air force, when
each is proficient in !ts own duties
must be nodded together into a fleet
and trained IN tho GO ordination ~
ltll branches 30 as 20 oNcrn'" eff
.ci'n'.y the missions witch may be
assigned them.
Congress for SO, 900 Men.
"Arcr hearing an the testimony
given on the floor ~ the house Oi
representative, our congrcsFmen by
% very decided majority Increase
the provision for enlisted men from
tho commitiee's $1,000 10 the figure
Coye He praocri nf,op