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Show OIL FOR THE NAVY IS A NECESSITY Washington, Jan. G. Secretary Daniels Dan-iels appealed todaj to, Chairman Tillman Till-man of the senate naal committee to defeat tin' compromic legislation to give claimants leasee on the navj petroleum pe-troleum fuel reserve In California and Wyoming He also Ben1 a statement Of the navy's objections to Senator Plttman, chairman ol a sub-commit' tee, which frame the compromise. The department of justice holds many of I the claims are fraudulent and the navy maintains the safety of the na-J tion will be Imperiled bj the loss of fuel "Every capital ship and every de-Btroyer de-Btroyer la now designed to burn oil and oil only," Secretary Daniels wrote Senator Tillman, "and the features of the design are such that it is impos -dble 1 1 1 return to the use of coal. I'n-dej I'n-dej the circumstances the problem .,i socurint; a .supply of oil for our fleet i is one of (he greatest national impor- ' tance. The speed of our destroyers I and battle cruisers would be impossi i ble of attainment with anything but oil and, if this supply were seriously threatened, as it Is in the pending bill, w- should be brought lace to face with the consideration of the abandonment ; altogether of oil as fuel. The enormous powers requin d to attain the speed contemplated in our! battle cruisers calls for an expendi- : ture of oil immensely greater than anything that had been dreamed of , and it Is therefore of (he highest -m ' portance to the nation that the oil In these lands be reserved for the use of the navy. We do noi want the value of the oil but we want to preserve the oil so that we may be assured of a supply for our sliips and, if we are I to be placed in such a position of in- ' feriority as we would be, if forced to abandon the use of coal, the conditions ' would be one of national humiliation " To Senator Plttman, Secretary' Dan i lels wrote: "I am advised that many of the i claimants have no right enforceable in any court of law or equity and that they maintained possession in most cases by force or intimidation. These men are now asking congress to give them at the cost of naval efficiency (which means at the cost of the national na-tional security) that to which they have no legal or equitable claim and it is my understanding that this proposed pro-posed remedial legislation is calculated calcu-lated to accomplish this result.'' |