New-York tribune., 1921-05-24
Senate Knocks
Out Plan for
Alameda Base
Naval Amendment Voted
Down After Opponents
G. h arge 1t Ultimately
viii Cost $500, 900, 900
Personnel Raise Fought
La Toilette Bitterly Assails
Steel Companies, Accus-
ing Them Of Extortion
From, Tie Tribunc's Washin oton Burcau

From, The 1rtbune's Washington BHyedS
WASHINGTON. May 23.-The Senate
Naval Affairs Committee to-day was
again turned down by the Senate on
one of the committees important
amendments. The committee mad added
to the bill provision for new supply
base at Alameda, Calf. which. its OPP
ponents charged. ultimately would
have cost the government 100000 600
or even more, and would have meant
the "scrapping" of Mare Island.
BY a vote of 40 to 80. the Senate
knocked out the committee amendment
as to Alameda entirely. The vote was
so decisive that it probably will be
impossible to restore the item at any
subsequent stage of the proceedings on
the bill
Nineteen Republicans voted against
the Alameda amendmcnt. They were
Senator'S Borah. Capper, Cummins,
GoodnE. Harreld, Jones. of Washing
ton; Kenyon, Ladd; La Toilette, Len
root Mccormick, Mckinley. McNary
Nelson, Norris, Stanheld, Townsend
Weller and Willis. Senators Pittman,
Fletcher and Swanson, of the Demo-
Gratis, voted with the Republicans who
backed the naval committee in favor of
the Alameda project.
Cost of $500 900 900 Forecast
The actual authorization carried in
the committee amendment for Alameda
was $l,500,000 to be used to begin
dredging, eXcavating and grading. But
1T was brought out in the debate this
was only beginning and that the
general board was opposed to Mare
Island, thirty-siX miles from Alameda.
Some experts declared that if the gov
Alameda it would mean the ultimate
expenditure there of $200, 100000. 1t
was charged on the floor that the pro
osed Alameda base would be located
in a swamp and would be enormously
expensive.
Senators next locked horns on the
increase of the navy personnel. as pro-
posed by the Naval Affairs Committee.
from 100000, as fixed by the House,
to 10000. This came up in connec-
ton with an item for pay of the navy
The item was $72 ,421 ,647 in the House
bill. The Senate committee increased
this to $8779S447 This increase of
100000, along with other proposed
increases in pay and expense needed
TO maintain the added 10000 men, it
was said on the floor, would amount to
SIS, 100000
Sharp debate broke out over the pro-
posed increase. Senators La Toilette
and Lenroot spoke against it and the
Senate adjourned for the day with the
question unsettled.
Senator La Toilette held the floor for
about three hours. He charged that
the Senate Naval Affairs Committee
was following with their eyes shut
the recommendations of the General
Board" He warned the Senate the
Ar1eo of1~ ~.
the extravaganza contemplated in the
Senate committee bill.
He declared the bill should be sent
back to committee by such a decisive
vote that these useless, wauton, Grim
inal expenditures" would be cut out.
Attacks Steel Companies
Senator La Toilette took occasion to
level bitter attack at the steel COM
panies. In reference to steel concerns
interested in the construction OF the
ships of the 1915 program he read
tables which he said showed that from
1912 to 1914 inclusive, the United
States Steel Corporation had an aver
age annual net income of about S53,-
100000, while during the war years
1916 to 1918 inclusive, this jumped to
an average net annual of $211 900 600.
so you see" said Senator La Fol-
lette, that during the three years 1912
to 1914, inclusive the percentage earned
on capital stock was 81 per cent a
year, and during the three war years,
1915 to 1918, inclusive, it was 24.3 per
cent a year. The Midvale Company for
the three years 1916 to 1918 made
profits, available for dividends, of $780,
083,273, or 30,7 per cent, while during
the sarSe period the net profits of the
Bethlehem Steel Company averaged an
nuually $28,948,365; that is, It rose