The Washington herald., 1916-04-27
BY T.. B. JOHNS.

Contrary 10 current reports. the sub
committee OF the House Committee on
Naval Affairs has not taken any action
upon the building program which is to be
incorporated in the naval appropriation
bill, The subcommittee never takes up
the building program. hut this is always
considered in the whole committee. The
whole committee will 80 over every item
in the bill as reported by the subcom-
mittee.
The indications are that the commit
Tee will report out four battle cruisers
instead of two battleships and two ba-
tie cruisers as recommended by the
Navy Department The larger navy mem
bers will make an effort to have two
hattIeships included in the committees
report as well as four battle cruisers.
-Four battle cruisers are practically as
Sured. but the battleships are in doubt,
IIr the committee reports out only four
battle cruisers A determined fight will be
made upon the floor of the House 10 add
TWO battlcships to the building program.
\ majority of the naval officers who
appeared before the committee approved
the battle-cruiser program. 1t is generally
iagTeCd that If the navy is to have bat
tic cruisers Congress should take steps
70 have four Of them laid down at one
time. one or two battle cruisers would
tho feet except as raiders.
At the same time there will be serious
opposition to abandoning the two battle
ship proEram. Naval strategists insist
that the Dreadnoughts or battleships are
srill the backbone of the fleet and largely
the measure of the naval strength of the
nation Battle cruisers, they insist, do
not displace battleships, and are auxiliary
vessels.
As agreed in the Senate and House Con-
ference Committee yesterday, the bill for
an increase in the strength of the Mill
tary Academy provides for 1882 cadets.
The increase is divided into four annual
increments The first increment can be
taken care of at the academy without
any material enlargements of the plant.
Under the bill two cadets will be ap-
pointed from each Congressional district,
four from the District of Columbia, two
from each territory. two natives of Porto
Rico, four from each State at large
and eighty from the United States at
large. Twenty of those who are appoint
ed from the United States at large are
to be from the honor graduates of edu-
cational institutions to which regular
army officers are detailed as instructors.
The eighty to be appointed from the
United States at large are to be resi-
dents of the Congressional or territorial
districts the District Of Columbia, or
the island of Porto Rico.
The President is also authorized to
appoint 1SO cadets from the regular army
and National Guard. The cadets from
the army and National Guard are to be
between the ages of 10 and % years and
are to be equally distributed between the
two forces The War Department recon-
mended that a number of cadets should
be appointed from the Philippine Islands.
but the committee took the ground that
as the Philippine Islands are demanding
Independence the natives naturally would
not care to enter West Point. The
strangest feature Of this proposal is that
1t originated with Resident Commissioner
Quezon, who has been such an ardent
advocate Of the independence of the
islands.
A new record in craftsmanship for re-
cruits was established when the Eleventh
Drill Company of the United States Ma
rine Corps qualified 50 per cent Of its
members. with five expert Tihemen. six
ten sharpshooters and thirty marksmen
out of total enrolment OF fifty-seven
men.
The recruits of the Eleventh Drill Com
pany were enlisted in the Marine Corps
about ten weeks ago and were recruited
principally in the large cities.
More Aeros Ordered.
Orders have just been placed by the
War Department with the Curtiss Aero
plane Company for four R-2 tractor aero
nj, NJ, rF lea These machines