Daily Kennebec Journal

In Military Committees Before End of the Week

AMERICAN BOY ON SUBMARINES

Furnished Navy Department with Much Valuable Information--Capt. McKean Tells of Recent Progress Toward Preparedness

Washington, Feb. 14.--While the House naval committee continued today its hearings on the navy appropriations bill, the military committees of both houses prepared to begin drafting the measures they will propose to strengthen the army.

The military committees probably will begin daily sessions before the end of the week in an effort to hasten their work as President Wilson has urged.

Captain Josiah McKean, attached to the office of the chief of operations as assistant for material, revealed that much of the navy department's information about German submarines had come from an American boy who served for a time upon one of them in active service before he could establish his nationality and secure immunity from military duty. The boy, whose name was not disclosed, returned to the United States as soon as he was at liberty and proved to be a valuable source of information.

Representative Britten pressed the witness as to what steps had been taken by the navy department to be ready to the emergency conditions which seemed to exist.

"We have made more real progress in real readiness," Capt. McKean said, "in the last two years than in any previous five-year period in my experience in the navy. I don't think I have ever known a time when everybody in the service, from top to bottom, was working as hard with their heads and hands to prepare the fleet for active service."

At another point Rep. Britten asked why the department had not attempted to hurry up delivery of ships under construction.

Capt. McKean said that was a matter for the contractors and the department had little power. If the contractors were penalized, he said, Congress always revoked the sentence.