The Washington herald., 1916-07-02
ADVOCATE BIG INCREASES
$780, 900, 900 More for Army
and $50, 900, 900 More for
Navy Recommended.
BIG NAVAL PROGRAM BACKED
Lessons Of European War Heeded.
Appropriation for Field Artillery
Is Increased.

The Senate Military and Naval Affairs
Committees have taken the initiative in
proposing to put the United States in a
position of real preparedness for war.
Recommendations of more than a hun
dred million dollars increase for the army
and nearly fifty millionn dollars increase
forsthe navy. over and above what the
House recommended, were reported yes
terday from the Senate end of the Capt.
tol.
A formal report from the Senate Com
mittee on Naval Affairs was fled by SEN
G building program of ten battleships.
six battle cruisers, ten scout cruisers
fifty torpedo boat destroyers, nine fleet
submarines and forty-eight coast sub
marines, besides other auxiliary craft,
aggregating 157 new ships, all to be in
cluded in the three-year building pro-
gram destined to put the United States
navy in a position to defend both Goa SITS
against any enemy in 1919.
The committee goes even further than
the report of the General Board, OF which
Admiral George Dewey is president, but
it is understood that the board heartily
indorses the increase. In explaining its
report in this respect the committee says:
Time to BE Reduced.
1T seemed to the committee that the
program for five years proposed by the
General Board was not sufficient to bring
the naval force OF the United States to.
the position which It ought to hold among
the navies OF the world at an early
enough period The committee therefore
reduced the time covered by the program
from five years to three years the COM
mittee being convinced that the sooner
we could get an adequate navy the bet
ter, as the navy must always be our first
line of defense and we have two great
coasts to defend"
The total sum authorized in the bill as
reported to be appropriated in three years
is SsOi, ,OlS, ,s70.55. 1t is pointed out that the
Senate Committees report not only has
strong Republican support back of it. but
that 1t is indorsed by President Wilson
and Secretary Of the Navy Daniels Sec
retary Daniels yesterday issued a state
ment in which he fully concurred in the
drastic measures Of real preparedness ad-
vocated by the committee.
Other Items Increased.
The great increase in the building pro-
gram is, OF course. the feature of the
bill. but other items of increase over the
House appropriations were the follow
ing:
Arrning and equipping naval militia
sss3.0oo; ships for naval militia of Illinois
and Minnesota $4,000: Bureau of Ord
nance items, including $3.50, 900 for bat
teries for merchant auxiliaries and SIS. 900
for a torpedo station at Newport; ex-
perimental laboratory in connection with
the navy yards. s1,coo,Ooo; improvements
in navy yards more than 1000. 900; g, 49,
26O for pay Of the navy based on the in
crease of the navy enlisted personnel to
81 900 from $1,000 and an increase In the
enlisted strength of the Marine Corps to
17,4oo men; 100000 for two coast guard
vessels, one of which will be for service
in New York harbor
Coincident with the increase recon-
mended by the Senate Naval Committee,
increases aggregating more than hum
dred million dollars over the House bill
have been tentatively agreed upon by the
Senate Committee on Military Affairs.
The work will be completed tomorrow,
and the bill will then be ready to be re-
ported to the Senate.
In its plan to put the army on a real
basis-of preparedness the committee has
taken the advice Of military experts and
has needed the lessons which the Euro
pean war has pointedly taught. Thus the
House appropriation of sS,OoO.oO0 for field
artillery for the National Guard is in
creased to s142o0,oO0.