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Show FEARS NAVY SHORTAGE OF TORPEDOES f - ' ''' " J l- iUV "The lack of torpedoes for our fleet practically places the vessels of the United States navy at the mercy of any foe that might attack them. The navy has toaay not more than 700 torpedoes the sinews of war that Japan employed to wipe out the fleets of Russia and China. This means that we have only torpedoes enough to fire two shots each from the 463 torpedo tor-pedo tubes of our warships. If these first shots did not destroy the enemy, our destroyers, submarines and torpedo torpe-do boats might just as well never have been built." This was the astounding condition revealed the other day by Congressman Congress-man Fred A. Britten of Chicago. Mr. Britten, who fathered a bill for an appropriation of $7,000,000 for a government gov-ernment steel armor plant, also made the statement that the three steel armor ar-mor producing companies of this country coun-try have mulcted the government to the amount of $77,000,000 and, despite affidavits denying any working agreement or conspiracy, they each recently submitted a bid of $454 a ton for armor plate for battleship No. 39, now under construction in the Brooklyn navy yard. That bid has been rejected by Secretary Daniels of the navy department. |