Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1922-02-14
DENLY Asks
Navy Force
of 100000
Secretary Begins Fight to Pre-
vent Congress From Max.
ing Reductions in
Personnel.
Requests $350,0OO,0OO

OF the Navy DENLY today began the
light to prevent congress from max
ing drastic reductions in the navy
personnel.
The secretary. in asking for an
enlisted personnel OF 10000. which
'reans an immediate release OF TO-.
600 men, and for 1000 apprentices,
said that s5s0.O000O would be
necessary 10 sustain the navy in the
fiscal year. 1928.
Some members OF the house naval
committee before whom Secretary
Dcnby made his proposals. appeared
10 he staggered by his figures. Sew
eral said that congress never would
stand for such sum under exist
ing circumstances and that il was
preparing TO cut the navy budget
10 $l50.000,000. Representative
Thomas Butler OF Pennsylvania,
chairman OF the committee. said:
That will never do. Before the
war in 1916. the cost OF maintain.
ing the navy exclusive Of construc-
ton. was $l07, 100000. AS we have
taken out most OF the construction
by the naval limitation agreement.
the people will never support a vote
by US for three times this prewar
cost OF the navy"
Would Release 10000.
Mr.. Dcnby sought TO impress
upon the committee that his rec
concentrations were absolutely
necessary for the welfare OF the
navy and the country. He proposed
reduction of 10000 enlisted men.
o,400 TO be released by placing 100
destroycrs out OF commission and
5000 to be cut off in contemplated
economies at shore stations. These
cuts. he said. would effect saving
OF $4,000, 900.
''If il is found at any time said
the secretary, 'that We can dispense
with more men with due regard to
the proper insurance Of the United
States against that possible attack
from which even treaties do not
absolutely guarantee US, the men will
oe withdrawn and the ships disposed
Of"
Secretary DENLY sought to con-
vince the committee that il is not
easy to get "'back to normslcy" from
the vast naval expansion occasioned
by the war. II
Personnel Reduced.
I'VE had in the service December
/, 1915" he said, "l0,5o0 regular and
temporary officers and 2l,6l8 re-
serve officers, total of 32,208 Of
ficers and 2i3.43l regular enlisted
men and 267,292 reserves. total Of
AS0723 enlisted men and 1862 YES
sells. There were still on the ways
great number Of ships, most OF !
which have been completed and
added to the navy list. The person.
mel has been reduced from that figure
to 6,lo3 total commissioned officers
and 100000 men on January |, 1922.
The number Of ships has been re-
duced from 1862 to 600.
"The attention of the world has
been focused upon the great confer
ence recently closed which had for
its purpose the limitation of arma-
nent. The net result Of that confer
ence was that Great Britain and the
United States are each to have in
their navies 52s,000 tons Of capital
ships, Japan 3l5,0W tons and France
and Italy l7s,0O0 tons each. These
figures are to be reached and main
tanned after the cbsolescence of GER
tain ships and their replacement dur
ing the life Of the treaty. The net
result today is that Great Britain is
to have q capital ships until by OBJ
solescence and replacement she
comes down to the same tonnage as
the United States; the United States.
10 capital ships. and Japan, 10. The
treaty made no provision for con-
trol by tonnage or otherwise Of aux
iliary combatant craft. making in re-
gard 10 such auxiliary craft only the
limitation that no ship shall be built
exceeding 10000 tons displacement
or have guns exceeding eight-inch
caliber.
ut is quite clear that the navy.
both in enlisted and commissioned
personnel, is undermanned today.
the total personnel consisting OF
o,l2o commissioned officers and
$500 enlisted men,