Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-02-08
HOW THE NAVY ITSELF FEELS
ABOUT ARMAMENT LIMITATION
eney In Congress to Force Naval
OlsinteoratIon


Dlsintesration
INLAND farmers like those who send Mr.
Bornh Mr.. Capper and Mr.. La Toilette
to Congress never have been fond Of the
navy. They are safely removed from coast
lines. TO them the sea is sort of myth
The Middle West always means when Naval
Appropriation Bills are up for considera-
tion and its representatives rise to ask why
money spent for fleets shouldn't be used to
buy tractors.
Now. fired by the news from the Confer
ence for the Limitation of Armament, the
farmers. who boast that they hold the bal
ancc OF power in Congress. seem deter
mined to cut the navy personnel to the bone
to permit ruthless pruning Of appropriation
measures.
One Of our own old friends IS a naval
officer of high rank now hard at work at
base where aviation and submarine forces
are in training. We wired for his opinions.
Here they are. 1t is a pleasure to let the
navy have word.
'All the naval officers know" writes
this ordinarily rcticent spokesman for the
navy. were and are heartily in favor of
limitation Of floating armament Such
program as. Secretary Hughes formulated
should be an excellent thing for the coun.
try and the naval service alike if 1t were
nationally carried out. But. reading the
reports from Washington. I have been
wondering out here whether, after all, the
work started by Mr.. Hughes will be over.
done In Congress, where there is a DISPOSE
tion to greatly reduce, for the sake Of
economy. the fighting force which we are
authorized by the treaty to maintain.
Il refer to the plan under which the
the efficient handling Of the ships needed to
maintain the 5-5-3 ratio, may be cut
almost in half. II that scheme is carried
through Congress we may wake up some
fine morning and find that we have handed
the ruling sea power Of the Pacific over to
others.
1T should be remembered by any one in
tcrested in the peace and safety of the
country that the Hughes plan did not con-
template any reduction Of the number of
naval ships now in active service and be-
longing to the nations that are parties to
the new agreement.
Our own present personnel is not ade
quate to efficiently man our own active
ships. Meanwhile it is very clear that the
other Powers are preparing to keep the
fleets allowed them at the highest point of
efficiency. Our enlisted personnel is now
about equal in numbers to that Of the
British. But a survey made in June. 1921. .
shows that about nine -tenths of our men
are serving first cnlstments. They cannot
be regarded as able naval sealnen.
'In the British Navy more than eight
tenths of the enlisted men have served ten
or twelve years. Men fight not ships said
Admiral Fisher. That is great truth.
Any naval officer or sailor will tell you that
ships do not fight They are fought. The
japanese naval organization is patterned
after that of the British. Each OF these
two navies has large reserves of seasoned
officers and men in the merchant marine.
"Thcrc IS danger that the people may
read TOO much into the new naval agree
ments and permit the actual dismantling of
! the fleets which we are authorized to main
| tain under the armament Limitation plan.
II wc arc to have anything like the naval
| Strength necessary to eQualize the new bal
| anccs of power established by the Confer
! encc between the United States, Britain
! and Japan no serious cuts can be made in
| the present naval personnel.
| 1T seems to me that any newspaper that
| will try to make this clear to the country
will do public service. Do you know that
because of a lack Of funds the Atlantic and
| Pacific Fleets had to abandon their usual
! practicc maneuvers this winter? Any naval
man knows that ship badly or made
uuately manned represents wasted effort.
! 1t Gun DC q hindrancc rather than help in
fight. You cannot judge naval strength
! by the number or listed power of ships
| alone.
1T is men who win or lose battles. not
| ships Yet it is hard to make Congress
understand that it takes time to commission
| q ship and get her to the point of operating
efficiency at which she may take her place
with success in n battle line. Had the Rus
slams understood this they wouldn't have
| lost to the japanese. The Disarmament
! Conference was thinking of the Limitation
of naval power. am afraid that Congress
isn't thinking of limitation. 1t Is thinking
Of the disintesration OF the navy
The navy talks, you see. about as straight
as it has been accustomed to shoot.