New-York tribune., 1921-06-08
Navy Bill Sent
10 Conference:
Hot Fight Ahead
House Sends Measure TO
Committee by Vote Of 232
to Ito and Action MAY
Be Delayed for Months
Factions See Harding
Strongest Opposition TO
Come on the Increase i'm
Personnel to 100000
From The Ttibune,s Wo,hinoton Burea,

WASHINGTON, June THE Senate
and House went to the mat" to-day
on the navy appropriation bill and the
Borah and Porter plans for disarma-
ment when the House, by a vote of 232
to 40, sent the measure to conference.
This move was debated but one hour
which was almost entirely devoted to
discussion Of reduction of arma-
ments. While the House conferees
were not formally instructed on this
question, they will be more insistent
in demanding that the Senate accept
the Porter resolution, in lieu Of the
Borah amendment, than on any other
point. And it is probable that while a
compromise agreement may be reached
on the size Of the navy personnel and
differences in the amounts to be appro-
priated, the two houses will get into
such q deadlock on the question Of
disarmament that it will be weeks be-
fore entire harmony can be reached.
In any event there is little possibility
the bill will become law by the time
the new fiscal year opens July /.
Members of both houses called upon
President Harding to-day and dis
cussed the measure with him.
Poindexter Visits Harding
Senator Poindexter, acting chairman
of the Senate Naval Committee, and
Senator Hale, member of that COM
mittee, visited the President and
talked over the Borah amendment and
the action of the Senate in increasing
the personnel from 100000 to 10000.
What passed in detail at the confer
ence, the Senator'S would not disclose.
The President also talked with House
Leader Mondell. Mr.. Mondell gave it
out the President was for the House
disarmament proposition.
This was generally taken to mean
that while the Senate conferees insist
they will stick by the Borah amend
ment, the House will either win out
or there will be q compromise as be-
tween the House language and the Ian
guage of the Borah amendment, SO that
the Borah argendment will not 60 into
the law eventually.
So far as the increase of personnel
from 100000 to 10000 and the other
Senate bill increases go, however, there
are many indications of long and
bitter fight. Senate conferees deny
the President has taken stand
against the Senate increases and say
the situation as to them is unchanged
by the White House conference with
Senator's Poindexter and Hale. Gossip
at the Capitol was that the President
hoped the two houses would settle
their differences as to personnel and
size of the appropriation and that he
would not be called on to dictate a
settlement
Predictions were made in Senate
Naval Committee circles that the con-
troversy would not be ended before the
new fiscal year opened, and that the
first of the fiscal year would probably
come and find the Navy Department,
without any funds.
The debate ON the bill in the House
to-day showed an overwhelming major.
ity unqualiiedly in favor of the Porter
resolution. A scattering few, mainly
Demo ocrats, opposed it on various
grounds, but it is said that most of the
members on the minority side will sup
port the House plan if a straight vote
on the two can be obtained on the
floor