The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-02-11
VOTES AGAINST IT
WILL RECOMMEND
 ONLY TWO BATsrLEsHIPs.
xAk president's Urgent Recommenda- tzen te nufId Four New Fight- tmg vessefs ts Rejected by
 che Conynffsee.


 Washington. Feb. lo.-By vote of 70 to s. one member absent and not voting, the House Committee on Naval Affairs today rejected the Presidents argent recommendation that Congress nt this session authorize the building of four batfIeships at q total cost of sss.001. GOO.
 By unanimous vote. there was in- cluded in the navy appropriation bill nn authorization for the construction of two battleships to cost ss.500.0oo each and to be of the Delaware type. These Representatives voted in accordance with the Presidents recommendation Lilly (Conn.. Rep ]: Thomas co, Rep.) {; Meyer. (I.a.. Dem.): Talbott (Md.. pem.); and Hobson (Ala-. Dem.) Rep resentative Hobson announced after the cornmittee meeting that he intended to make minority report recommending authorization for four battieships.
 eBut the authorization merely is not enough" he said Tt should include an actual appropriation so that the work of construction would begin with out a moments unnecessary delay. Even 60. it would be three years be- fore these vessels could be made ready to TO into commission and this coun- try has no time to lose.'
 The naval appropriation bill as amended and agreed upon by the com- miftee, carries total appropriation of sIea. .ooo.o 900 for the navy establishment for the next fiscal year. about S24, ,0O0,- 08e less than was asked for in the de- partment estimates.
 Under the head of new authoriza- tions for whose fulfillment Congress 10 bound to appropriate money at the next session if the bill as recommend ed passes the House and Senate. the
 
 cost s1S.G00.000; ten destroyers, $S,- boo. GOO; eight submarines. ss.040.Oo0. . total of $so.sso.ooo. or s3,7so.o0 less than the total for new authorization asked for by the Navy Department. The new authorization estimates re- jected by the committee comprised the following:
 Two battIeships. sIs.0oo,oo; four scout cruisers. s10o00. 900: one ammu- hilton ship. sI.750.ooo; one repair ship. &zso00, 900: two mine laying ships, $500,- 000
 The committee raised from four to eight the number of submarine tor uedo boats asked for: held over for further consideration in a special bill the matter of providing fleet collier; appropriated s400.000 for the purchase within the discretion of the Secretary Of enc Navy three so-caiIed sub-surface A3fX XA40O 0DNt8t LuSlT ASCSpt6uCS DY the Government to be contingent upon the falhiiment of Department requirements, and included an appropriation of $1,- 900,0O0 to enable the recruiting of 5000 additional enlisted men to man newly ocmp2eted battIeships and authorised the recruiting of 5000 more to become available after the first of July, as re- Commented by the Secretary of the Navy and urged by the President.
 No provision was made for the buiId- ing of . dry dock at Pearl Harbor, near B0noiuiu.
 Tho four submarine torpedo boats are to be of the Octopus type. The sxoct of this amendment. if the House and Ssnale concur in the committee's H8poRt. may be to nulltfy the court de- csgtOn by which the Secretary of the; Navy gained the right to consider the Lake type of boat as an after-compe- tfkion competitor.