New-York tribune., 1921-03-21
House Leaders Say Appro.
priation Will Be for
100000 Sailors; l4O,-
600 Needed on Vessels
Would Compel Use
Of Skeleton Crews
DENLY Considers Scrap.
ping Old Armored Cruis-
ers, Possibly Battleships
By Carter Field


WASHINGTON, March 2O.-Notice
has been served on the Administration
by House leaders that there is not a
chance Of Congress voting enough
money to maintain more than skeleton
crews in the present navy if all the
ships are kept in commission. At the
same time the House leaders Informed
the Navy Department that they be-
lieved the new House and Senate would
appropriate the necessary money to go
ahead with the 1916 naval program.
SO that the curious situation is pre-
sented that Congress is willing to vote
hundreds of millions for the construc
tion of ships but is not willing to vote
the money to keep adequate crews on
the present fleet.
Members of the House Naval Com
mittee are positive that there is no pos
siblity of Congress authorizing a per-
sonnel in excess of 100000 men, To
maintain the present fleet, according to
the Navy Department, 100000 men are
essential. But this is not all. New
ships will be put in commission this
year, which will run this 100000 men.
considered by the Navy Department to
be tn" minimum, to 149,000 And next
year, when it is not considered that the
revenue problems of Congress will be
any casier-for the huge sums Of inter-
est on the twenty-four billions of debt
will not be decreased and it is hoped
to repeal some of the war taxes--there
will be more ships completed which ought
to be manned
Borah Group to Fight
But, as matter of fact, leaders in
Congress are not sure they can hold
back the pruning AK from naval an
preparations even at the point Of
100000 enlisted men. They fear. espe-
clally in the House of Representatives
that the drive to cut the figure even
lower may easily be successful. In the
Senate also it is known that the FIGHT
being made by Senator Borah and
others against going ahead with the
building program of 1915 will be waged
vigorously, and the men making this
hght would quickly join hands with a
drive to reduce the enlisted personnel
of the navy.
The number OF men required to man
ene Dattleships has been steadily in
creaslng, naturally, as the size of the
to be completed this year. the Califor.
ma and the Maryland, will each require
LOU enlisted men exclusive of Off
GERS The four scout cruisers to he
completed this year, the Omaha. Ra-
leigh, Richmond and Concord. will each
require 700 men. The fuel ship Neches
Will require 200 men, while the ammu-
milton ship Nitro will need 800 men.
and the destroyer tender Dobbin will
need 800 men.
The following destroyers, requiring
ITO men each, will be completed this
Smith, Mulany, coughian, I"ls' Preston satsn
Lamson, Hull, MacDonc ugh. Farenholt'
Sumner, Cory and Mevin. Then there
will be three submarines of the "T"
type. requiring 35 men each; thirty
seven of the rs" type, requiring 25 men
each, and three of the "V" type, re-
quiring 55 men each.
New Ships Require S,735 men
All Of which brings the grand total
of men required for new ships to go
into commission this year to 8.735 men.
While the Navy Department will
make the best fight it can in Congress
to obtain appropriations for an ade-
quate personnel, high officials of the
department are scratching their heads
over the problem confronting them.
Secretary Denby is committed heart
and soul to a continuance of the build
ing program. One of the plans under
consideration which would help little,
though nothing like enough to relieve
the pressure, is to dismantle some of
the ships now considered little out of
date.
1t is known that an officer on the
staff of Admiral Sims who remained
abroad after the armistice reported
that England was scrapping useless
ships for economic reasons and made
a recommendation that the American
Navy follow England's example. This
recommendation, however, was pigeon
holed by Secretary Daniels.
Some naval officers think that the old
armored cruisers, such as the Char
lotte, Huntington, Missoula, Pueblo
and Seattle, should be scrapped. These
ships are now in navy yards for the
purpose Of having their batteries re-
placed. they having been used for
transports during the war 1t is said
the work has been held up on the pos
sibility that the new Administra tion
might decide to scrap them.
1t has been announced that six adj
ditional old battleships would be placed
ou%of commission. These are the Con
necticut, Kansas, Louisiana. New
Hampshire, South Carolina and Mich
igan. Their retirement is expected on
their return from the present practice
cruise OF the mid idshinn,ep