Throughout his term as a Cabinet minister, as during his years in the House of Representatives and. the Senate, Mr. Swanson continued to advorate'a strong naval establishment for the country. As Secretary of the Navy, one of his early pronounce: ments was in favour of buildin. up the American fleet to treaty. limi thus maintaining the 5-5-3 ratio as between the United States, Great Britain and <apan, In 1916 a year before the United States entered the War, Mr. Swanson sponsored a $500,000.00 three-yarr building programme providing for sixteen capital ships for the Navy.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.