| OCR Text |
Show DANIELS CALLED AS AJITNESS House Committeemen Still Discussing Rear Admiral Fletcher's Remarkable Testimony. ENGLAND POWERFUL Navy Not Asking for More Men 90 Per Cent of Fighting Force in Full Commission. Washington, Dec. 10. Inquiry into the condition of the American navy, In the light of the European war, was continued in open session today before the house naval affairs committee Secretary Daniels had heen invited as the principal witness before the committee Committeemen were still discusslnp today the remarkable testimony of Rear Admiral Fletcher, commander' in-chief of the Atlantic fleer before the committee yesterday when he frankly discussed the condition of the navy as contrasted with tho navies of tho principal nations he assertion was made by the ad---.iiral that with the exception of Great Ilritaln the American navy could sue-cessfnllj sue-cessfnllj defend itself against the na-v na-v of any other nation Conflict rtWtWeUn the United States and Great Britain was such a remote possibility in his opinion that he did not belle- e In 0 nava policy for this country having as Its object control of the 9eae as against England, nlthouph he admitted that the latter's navy was more powerful. Overmatched by England. Declaring that while the American navy was overmatched onlj by England, Eng-land, Admiral Fletcher said that If this count r continued to build only two battleships a year, Germany m the basis of her present construction program soon would be far In the lead. Although he declined to say that the American fleet alone could suc-i suc-i e88fully defeat Hawaii and the Philippines Phil-ippines in a conflict with Japan, the admiral had no doubt of the ability of the United States to control the seas in a naval conflict with that country Contending that ultimate naval success still rested with dreadnoughts, dread-noughts, he declared that suhmarlnes would not seriously affect the vital principles of naval warfare. Daniels. Star Witness. Secretary Daniels was the star witness wit-ness today before the house naval committee "I have recommended this year that v. continue the regular and normal construction recommended laBt year." said the secretary. "It seems to me a wise policy for steady enlargement This included two dreadnoughts, six destroyers elcht submarines or more (ope of sea-going and seven or more Of the coast defense type), one gunboat gun-boat and one oiler. The president approves this." Opposes Extravagant Suggestions. Mr. Daniels eharaeterized as "ex-travagsnt," "ex-travagsnt," suggestions that in the lit-'ht of the European experience there should be lno submarines and fifty battleships. The president, he said, "believes in the steady development of the navy." "The president." he added, "recommended "recom-mended that congress make the navy more powerful in the orderly WSJ that we did at the last congress." Not Asking for Men. "For the first time for many years the navy strength of personnel is full Of every' six men offered for service we have decllnMl five. I am not asking for men at this congress con-gress Wo must however, add them as we add to the ship-. At the next sepHion of congress I shall ask for more men it is unnecessary to have enough men at this time tr) man a" the ehips in the navy We have on even hip in ordinary and In reserve enough men to care for them. We ought to have not more than 200 of our ships in commission at any one time We have 129 ships In all. We have now 90 per cent of our fighting force In full commission and we'll keep that up." Secretary Daniels said he was asking ask-ing this congress to authorize a reserve re-serve of former sailors of the navy, which, he said, would In ten daya time 'produce 25,000 picked men for service." Universal disarmament Mr Daniels Dani-els thought practicable but only by "international agreement." Cootly Enginea of War. "In my last report," he said, "I expressed ex-pressed the hope that the day would come when this feverish haete and competition In costly engines of destruction de-struction would stop, and that, if this rivalry goes on, the burden would bi come too heavy for any nation to bear." Wouldn't we be in a better position posi-tion to propose disarmament if e were to stop heavy building programs'" pro-grams'" asked Representative Butler "No," replied the secretary "It would he unwise for us to act in any I particular in which we would not have acted If there had been no war in Europe After the European war is over, we will lerrn a great many lessons It would be a great mistake mis-take If we were now to say that, because wo hope for universal disarmament disar-mament we would stop nov. We would be in a much better position, if we continue construction, than if ' were to quit no n |
