The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-07-22
Votes $315, ,826,s ,s43 By 71 to 8-All Amendments to Reduce Number of Capital Ships Defeated By Sub stantial Majorities.
Construction of 157 New Ships in Three Years, Including Four Dreadnaughts and Four Battle Cruisers at Once.


 Battle Cruisers at Once.
 Washington, July 22-The Naval Appropriation bill, carrying provls- ions for $315,S26,S43, or $45.S57,5SS more than the measure approved by the House, passed the Senate yester- day by a vote of Fl to 8. The meas ure was supported by AZ Democrats and 24 Republicans. Those voting in the negative were Thomas and Var daman, Democrats. and C1app, Cur tis, Gronna, Norris, La Toilette and Works, Republicans.
 Kill Efforts to Curtail.
 All amendments offered to the bill to reduce the number of capital ships were voted down by substantial ma jorities, and the measure remains about as it came from the Senate committee. Briefly, it provides:
 For $3.3e0,oOo for batteries for gram-157 new ships; eight of these are capital ships, four battleships and four dreadnoughts--and are to be built at once.
 For $3,300,000 forb atteries for merchant auxiliaries. R
 For increasing the enlisted strength of the navy to 87,000 men and the Marine Corps to 17,400 men.
 For placing the naval militia on an equality with the National Guard.
 For the cooperation of the Coast Guard and lighthouse Services with the navy in time of war.
 For two new cutters for the Coast Guard Service.
 For an increase in the number of aviation stations and $3,500,000 for the aviation service.
 For $19 ,485,500 for Ammunition for all battleships, including those to be built in the next two years.
 For s11 900, ,000 for an armor plate factory.
 For the enlargement of navy yards to the capacity to build capital ships.
 For the enlargement of dry docks to accommodate the largest ships in the navy.
 For the reorganization of the en- tire personnel of the navy.
 For a naval reserve force and a Marine Corps reserve.
 For $1,500,000 for an experimental and research laboratory such as was recommended by Thomas A. Edison and other scientists.
 f For 20 per cent. bonus for expedit- ing the construction of ships. For $1,411,222 for a projectile plant.
 The building programme, of the Naval Bill provides for the construc- tion of sixty-six ships to be done as soon as practicable. These are: Four battleships battle cruisers. 4 scout cruisers. 20 torpedo boat de- stroyers. 3 800 ton coast submarines. 27 small coast submarines, fuel ship, one ammunition ship, 1 hospital ship and gunboat. The amount pro- vided for the construction of these sixty-six ships is $110,726,160.
 The total cost of the whole three- year programme of 157 ships, except ing the submarine, which is to have the Neff system. of propulsion is esti- mated at $58s, s,180,578, leaving to be appropriated by other Congresses $477,454.416.
 The last day of the debate on the naval measure was vitrio1ic and at times personal. Senator Reed of Mis- souri declared it was not proper for Senator Oliver of Pennsylvania, who
 
 les, to vote on propositions that would turn money into his own poe ket The Vice President had to call Messrs. Reed and Oliver to order re- minding them that they had trans gressed the rules of the Senate by being personal. The discussion grew out of the fact that Senator Penrose got unanimous consent of the Senate A. the protests of the Bethlehem Steel Company against the Government armor plate provision in the bill. MT. Penrose finally asked that the per- mission given by the Senate be with drawn, and that closed the discussion. The following proposed amend ments were defeated by the Senate yes- terday:
 lOne offered by Senator. Cummins to reduce the number of battleships for the first year to two and the number of battle cruisers to four. This was defeated by vote of 60 to IA, ten Republicans voting in the affirmative and four Democrats in the negative.
 The Townsend amendment to re- duce battleships authorization to four for the three years was defeated 58 to 15.
 The Kenyon amendment providing for six battleships, two of which were to be built this year, failed by 58 to IT. LII
 The Thomas proposition to substi- ute the House building programme for capital ships was defeated 65 to 12.
 The Cummins amendment for two first class battleships and four battle cruisers was defeated 61 to 19.
 The Shafroth amendment to substi- ute the five-year buildings pro- gramme for the three-year provision was defeated 57 to 21.
 The adoption of the committee amendment for the building pro- gramme was adopted by vote of S1 to 15,
 Attack Pennsylvania Senators
 This morning. immediately after the Senate met, Senator Penrose ask ed unanimous consent to have print ed as a public document a book pre- pared by the Bethlehem Steel Com pany in protest against tho armor plate provision in the bill. He ex- plained that Senator Tillman of South Carolina as Chairman of the Commit tee on Naval Affairs, would not ob- ject to his proposition. No ons made objection at this time, but later Sen- ators Pomerene and Reed started a lively war on the two Pennsylvania Senators charging them with trying to tax the people to pay for the pub