The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-02-11
House Committee Cus off Half Amount Desired
TWO WARSHIPS 10 BE BUILT
Roosevelt Recommended Four New Battleships and Was Backed Up in This by Hobson, But Com
 mittee Couldn't See It.

Washington. February 10-By vote of 13 to ,, one member absent, and not vot- mig. the House committee on naval af- fairs today rejected the Presidents urgent recommendation that Congress at this session authorize the building of four bat tleships at total cost of SSS, GOO 600. By unanimous vote there was included nj the navy appropriation bill an authoriza- tion for the construction of two battle ships to cost s9,5O0,0oe each and to be of the Delaware type.
 These representatives voted in accord ance with the Presidents recommenda- tion: Lilly of Connecticut, republican; Thomas of Ohio, republican; Meyer of Louisiana, democrat Talbott of Mary land, democrat, and Hobson of Alabama, democrat
 Representative Hobson announced after the committee meeting that he intended to take minority report recommending authorization for four battleships. But the authorization merely is not enough he said. Tt should include an actual ap- propriation so that the work of construc- tion would begin without a moments un- necessary delay. Even so, it would be three years before these vessels could be made ready to go into commission, and this country has no time to lose.'
 Total Bill is Heavy.
 The naval appropriation bill as amended and agreed upon by the committee, car ries a total appropriation of s1O1 ,o0o, GOO fnr 1;cl,,,, 4I. fiscal year, about $24.00O,000 less than was asked for In the department estimates.
 Under the head of new authorizations for whose fulfilment Congress is bound to appropriate money at the next session if the bill as recommended passes the House and Senate, the committee included two battleships to cost s19.0000O0, 10 de- stroyers, sS.5oo,00Q; eight submarine to1- pedo boats, $3,040.000 a total of s30 $40 900, or S33, 7S0,000 less than the total for new authorizations asked for by the navy de- partment
 The new authorizations estimates re- jected by the committee comprised the following:
 Two battleships, s19,000, GOO; four scout cruisers, $l0,000. 900; one ammunition ship, s1 ,750, 600: one repair ship, s2.000,0O0; two mine laying ships (cruisers to be con- yerted), $o0o,OOO.
 More Torpedo Boats.
 The committee raised from four to eight the number of submarine torpedo boats asked for; held over for further consideration and incorporation in a spe- cial bill the matter of providing fleet collers; appropriated $400,0O0 for the pur- chase within the discretion of the Secre- tary of the Navy of three so-called sub surface torpedo boats, their acceptance by the government to be contingent upon the fulfllment of department require ments; and included an appropriation of s1. .000. 900 to enable the recruiting of 5000 additional enlisted men to man newly completed battleships and authorized the recruiting of 5000 more to become avail able after the first of July, as recom- mended by the Secretary of the Navy and urged by the President.
 No provision was made for the build ing of dry dock at Pearl Harbor, near Honolulu.
 The four submarine torpedo boats are to be of the octopus type. The effect of this amendment if the House and Sem ate concur in the committees report, may be to nullify the court decision by which the Secretary of the Navy gained the right to consider the lake type of boat as an after-competition competitor