Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-12-03
HALF MILLION ARMY
FOR REGULAR SERVICE
Steady and Rapid Increase OF
Fleet and Man. Power OF
Navy Anticipated.

Washington. u. c., Dec. "A Regu-
lar Army of approximately 5nOuou men
Is provided for specifically IN estimates
submitted to Congress Yesterday Tor the
fiscal wear 1920, beginning next July j.
Detailed items on tho pay of tho army
show that in the total Of Sl,922 00o,0 600
asked for. exclusive OF the tortihcatlnn
estimates. provision Is made Tor the pay
ment of only u 80 officers and 80 ,661
men OF the line aud approximately l30,-
600 non-combatant troops, with the reqli-
site staff officers.
The inclusion in the estimates, how
eyer. af five items OF pay with a noml-
nal appropriation OF 500 each asked,
shows that the whole question OF the
strength Of the army after the con-
cllIsion of peace has been deferred and
that supplemental estimates are TO be
expected under these headings when II
is possible tu present i completed prof.
cct The items thus held III suspension
are those providing for the pay OF re-
serve and National Guard officers and
men.
The naval estimates are framed on
an exactly opposite theory Every pro
vision Is made for steady and rapid
increase of the fleet u total Of approx
matcly S42I. 100000 being asked. OF
fH4f sum N-tHftNtsi tNHf II 4tlt' i9lGi an r.
crcmcn, OF the proposed ncw thrcc-ycar
building program, providing for 10 ad-
dtlonal drcadrought~ ~lN battle cruisers
and 10 other fighting craft, The re
7naindcr of the Si%t .u200n0 would 60
te complete ships oi the first thrcc-vcar
program
Ask~ EXFKA rNEReLACN III VI,
Secretary D.nlcl~ has renewed, also,
.it,T
which Congress appropriated SlW,H00,
non last wear ia provide for he con
struction OF additional dcstroNcrs. sub
marine chascrs and other epcrtai craft
and IL expedite construction work TINS
vrsr. however, the department asks for
Si95.OO0,00n
The total appropriation for the nava!
establishment ! estimated at S3,h44.
001n00. Ut an ncrcase 81 approximately
II 600 O00,OOO over appropriations madn
Tor the current velr hr raY "a thr
nalv ltcm stands al S5.o,9i6.ulb. against
S2221 81 .446 this year Similarly, >l35,-
Sd O0u Is asked for The Marine Corps
against >I43,;3900o tins ycar.
Ii MILLIONS Torrfn orr
lust what reduction il naval rstr-
mates were made following The signing
II the armlstIgc with Germany Which
ndcI ho~tillcs. > not disclosed n
far aS the 4rmy Is concerned however,
General March has stated ihat moro
than $4,000 OO00W was Topped uf oj
lhe original $4,000. 100000 war budget
for the wear. bringing thr now total
including foruhraflon~, down 20 le,~
than s. 100000, ,00H
The army estimates show That the
specific provision mad, s tor the regular
establishment only a II present author
lzcd aud raised to rs maximum W.
strength This Is hr forcr contemplated
in the regular army reorganization msdr
in the national defense act q 1915.
which also federahzcd the Nations
Guard. The plain indication of th'~
method Of presenting the estimates, It Il
said, i that an entirely new military
policy is to be proposed, and that iNr
that reason no appropriations for con
timing the guard IN Federal service NJ
otherwise >upplcnentlng the regular army
arc now asked