The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1919-06-27
REDUCTIONS IN
ARMY and NAVY
House Agrees Tentatively to
Cut the Force Down to
100000 Men.
WAR WAGES TO CONTINUE.
Personnel Fixed on Sliding Scale from
"a, 900 on July to 10000 In 1920.
No New Naval Construction
Provided For.

Washington.-The House of Repre-
sentatives moved to reduce the mill
tary programme asked for by the ad-
.ministration by cutting the size Of the
army from 100000 to 100000 and re-
ducing the navy personnel by third,
in both cases by Withholding appro-
priations.
Further reduction in the size of the
army to be maintained for the next
fiscal year was tentatively agreed
upon by the House in deciding to base
appropriations for pay and main
stead of 100000, as recommended by
the House Military Committee.
The war department had recon-
mended provision for an army of 5O9,-
600.
The controversy over the army'S size
was brought to test vote when an
item of S2S,605,0O0 for the pay of line
officers came up for consideration.
Representative La Guardia, Republi-
can of New York, moved that it be re-
duced to $2O,2OO,OOO, making it in pro-
portion to an army of 100000 men.
After two hours debate the amend
ment was passed by vote Of so to
81.
Supporters of the amendment con-
tended that if provision were made
for 100000 the war department would
make no effort to carry on the de-
mobilization as rapidly as might be
possible.
Representative Kearns Republi-
can), of Ohio, asserted that people
over the entire country were demand
ing the return of the soldiers.
Representative Kahn of California,
chairman of the Military Committee,
urged that the original estimate, based
on an army of 100000 men, be passed,
saying that it would be a physical i'm
possibility to obtain lower average.
"On July l." he said, there probably
will be 100000 men still in the service,
and 100000 by August 1. Thereafter
the decrease will be less rapid, and
doubt that the number will fall below
100000 by the first of the year. By
the end of the fiscal year the number
will be reduced to 225,OOO. Taking an
average for the year, it can be clearly
seen that it will not fall below 4OO,-
OOO."
Representative Dent Of Alabama,
ranking minority member of the COM
mittee, said Congress was morally
bound to make ample provision for the
soldiers, and that this could not be
done "by blindly slashing the appro-
priations."
In pursuance Of the new Congress
sional policy of economy, the Naval
Affairs Committee has cut: down the
estimates of appropriation submitted
by Secretary Daniels about one-third.
The naval appropriation bill carries
approximately $6OO,OOO,OO0, which is
S3OO,OOO,O00 less than the appropria-
tions asked for by the secretary, and
S12O,OOO,O0O under the total carried in
the bill as it was passed by the House
at the last session.
The navy personnel is fixed at 241,-
600 from July 1 to October 1; 191, 200
from October to January l, 1920, and
10000 from January l to July 1, 1920.
The personnel of the Marine Corps Is
fixed at 27,4OO for the full fiscal year.
No new naval construction beyond
that already authorized is provided for
in the bill. The appropriation for
construction previously authorized
amounts to 133.0OO,O0O.
The proposal of Secretary Daniels to
divide the fleet into two squadrons,
one in the Atlantic and one in the Pa
cific, was approved by the committee,
and some appropriations were recon-
mended for new construction at naval
stations in the Pacific in conformity
with this policy.