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"About the same part that sub- marines have played in the past. Dir- igibles may be used to frighten and make timid men, as subma- rines have been used in the past. But their actual value is very question- able. Wireless, however, will be of extreme value." Of the enlisted the admiral spoke nervous men of thé navy, with much: enthusi- asm and accorded great praise to the bluejackets of the service. These are very young and the majority of them were recruited from the districts of the Middle West. Asked if these in- land-born youths showed the sanie adaptability for the service as 'hose reared on the seaboard, the admiral said that, considering present condt- tions, he thought they showed fully as much. "By present conditions," he added, "I mean the mechanical sea- manship that is required nowadays, as distinguished from the marlinspike 'seamanship of former days." The destructive effect of moderu shell fire is tremendous and terrific. A foreign naval attache, struck with the youth of our bluejackets, had wondered whether these could stand the shock of battle as well as iWeh of maturer years. The admiral asked for his opinion. "1 think they could stand it better," Nice he said. "They have fewer re3 2npsi- bilities in life than the older men, anc less to think about. Yes, [| be- lieve they could stand it better than older men." "Several amusement resorts have recently denied admission to enlisted men who have appeared in uniforina--" "Tf I had my way with such peo De, the admiral interrupted, "I would. put them in the penitentiary, where they could not do any further harm." It is the announced intention of the navy department to bring the biz fleet home by way of the Suez Canal, call- ing en route at Hawaii, the Philip- Pines, Japan, China, and Australia. It 4% upon Rear Admiral C. S. Sper-y that has devolved the duty of leading it on this extended tour. Such a Meet Sent to: sea by any other nation would be commanded by an admiral its second squadron by a vice ad- 'Miral, and its divisions by rear ad- "Mnirals, The rank of admiral was -be- 'Stowed upon Dewey, but in our ser- € there is no officer on the active St above the rank of rear admiral, fforts to revive the rank of vice Miral having failed. le fleet is to show the flag in num- 8 foreign ports, and it is more the "'TAE Marine REVIEW than likely that the rear admiral com- manding it will frequently find him- self junior to officers commanding very inferior forces. Thus much of the prestige of this showing the flag around the world tour must inevitably be lost. : "We should have an officer of the rank of admiral in command of that fleet,' Rear Admiral Evans said. "At the very least there should be a vice admiral. All other considera- tions aside, there are military rea- sons why this should be so. You would not put a regiment in the com- mand of a major, yet, in a relative way, that is exactly what has been done with this fleet. There is an- other strong reason in the fact that in joint operations, strong your own force may. be, un- less the officer commanding it is of high rank, he will be likely to find himself junior to some foreign offi- cer. © "Without any reference to the dig- nity of the country, it 16) anything but pleasant for the flag officers rep- resenting the nation to walk out to dinner, or to other social functions, behind representatives of all other . nations." Admiral Evans was asked what, in his opinion, would be the probable effect of the visit of the fleet to these far-off eastern ports. "It will tend," he said,: 40 ¢e- ment the friendship already exist- ing between the United States and the various countries which this fleet will visit. I think the effect will be further accentuated in the far east by the cordiality of the reception in Aus- tralia, that the interest excited in Aus- tralia, and her evident intention of hav- ing a hand im the control of the Pacific trade, will be very marked." BOWLES ON OCEAN MAIL BILL. Francis T. Bowles, president of the Fore River Ship Building Co. who resigned the office of chief construc- tor of the navy to enter business life, in a talk May 17, declared that the mail subsidy amendment to the post- office appropriation bill was in dan-_ ger of failing to become a law on account of "the irresolution and in- capacity" of a few Republican con- gressmen. Rear Admiral Bowles had the following to say: -"T am surprised and indignant at apparent irresolution of the house Republicans when the oppor- tunity is within their grasp to pass the ocean mail bill. have never More . favorable e a conditions present no matter how 'of Pennsylvania, 31 themselves to. enable the Republican party to take an important step to- ward the development of the Ameri- can merchant marine and give some meaning to party promise and some attention to the recommendations of the president, the carefully studied opinion of Mr. Root, to a policy ad- vocated by Mr. Taft, to the specific request of the postmaster-general, and to reiterated demand for this bill of the National Association of Man- ufacturers, the boards . of trade of Cleveland, St. Louis and Indianapolis and the chamber of commerce of New York. The situation is remark- able in the fact that there is no criticism of the details of the bill nor the manner of its advocacy. "Early in April the acting Repub- lican whip of the house, Mr. Burke, made. a canvass which showed a safe majority for the bill. Last month on a test vote the senate stood 46 to 12 in favor of the bill. The last year's discussion of the subsidy measures, the voyage of the battle fleet, with its dependence on foreign auxiliaries, I believe, - have had a profound effect on public opin- ion, and I am confident that a large majority of congress, regardless of party, favor the passage of the ocean mail bill. i "Tf it fails of enactment it will be due to the timidity, the irresolution -- and incapacity of a few Republicans -- who will thereby thwart the will of the people and_ stultify the party promises. The manufacturers of In- dianapolis, Milwaukee, Chicago and Cleveland have collectively and indi- vidually and by delegation asked spe- cifically for the passage of this bill now. "My experiences in the navy and in commercial ship building have con- vinced me, after careful study, that the maintenance of our flag on the ocean, so necessary to our develop- ing export trade and essential to the military value of the navy and the army, can only be secured by such legislation, now too long de--- ferred." : LACKAWANNA STEEL CO. GETS CONTRACT. --- The Lackawanna Steel Co. has se- cured the contract to furnish 7,000 tons of sheet steel for the govern- -- ment ship lock in the Black Rock ship canal. The Lackawanna Co. se- cured the contract in the series of competitive tests in which all the big -- steel-making companies participated, including the Steel Corporation.