POWERFUL NAVY FOR UNITED STATES

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2330, 11 December 1914, Page 7

POWERFUL NAVY FOR UNITED STATES

PRESIDENT WILSON'S ADVOCACY '. , Washington, December 9. President Wilson,' speaking in Con- ' gress, said a powerful navy was America's proper defence. He advocated ■the development of the National Guard. It was the right American policy to provide a system whereby every citizen voluuteor would bo familiarised with modern arms. He reiterated his plea for the passage of a Bill 'enabling the Government to buy interned ships. American trade routes must he. opened by many ships with regular. sailings at moderate • freights-before merchandise could flow freely and profitably. . Giving evidence before the Committee , of the House on Naval Affairs, Briga- ; dier-General Crozier asserted that the United States needed no siege guns of i huge calibre such as Germany used, , but undoubtedly thoy were useful in ! certain special circumstances, 6ucli as . the taking of French forts. 'Hie United ? States factories wero selling large iuan- [ ties, of ammunition. It was not known . where this was dispatched, rr whdlior . through Canada. - One hundred adti- ( tional submarines- were required for . coast protection. [ Rear-Admiral Fletcher agreed that r submarino-s were necessary hut did not t think that present-day- navies cnnld pos--1 'sibly disregard Dreadnoughts. Aitfialt - as auxiliary to the lavy wore in- } defensible, as they were nble to Wate, , submarines at a depth 'if jifw feet, j Experiments ia 'tho Cavribeaii Sea bad P showed this. ' . '