The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1922-04-09
Moreover the People Are In
sisting Full Treaty Quota
of Warships Be Kept.
SCRAPPERS' WASTE MUCH
Demand Growing to Convert
Ships for Use and for Ade-
quate Naval Bases.
ny eraser ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.

Special Dispatch 10 THE New YORK HERALD.
New York Herald Bureau
Washington, ID. g., April 3.
The announcement that President
Harding would veto the drastic naval
cuts proposed by Representative KEEL
ley and his committee is the most re-
freshing news that naval men have
heard in more than a year: but on
top Of this announcement Representa-
tive Rodgers of Massachusetts, pro-
poses not only TO oppose the Kelley
King combination, which demands a
navy of from $4,000 TO $4,000, but to
fight for a naval pc, sonnet of $4,000
men. 5000 more than Secretary Dem
by demanded
There are those who viii ask If Sec
rotary Denby's bill does not provide
sufficient men for the service The
answer is that Secretary DENLY was
asking only what he believed he could
get from Congress. ] doubt If Repre-
sentative Rodgers's bill provides fully
for the navy we may re tan. But then
Il saving. IL only political one. must
be shown the taxpayers for next cleo
ton.
formed OF the navys needs by its board
Of experts-the neral Board of the
navy. Every source OF information
secret or otherwise. is at the disposal
OF this board. but their findings. unless
oficially released By the Secretary OF
the Navy. must remain secret and use
less In the archives OF the department.
10000 Men Needed.
Should the option Of the General
Board be made public. venture TO state.
IL would call for naval personnel OF
around 5000 men for thu next fiscal
year. This force is necessary to main
tain our established "a ito TO prevent de-
terioration il: ships and to make
our national sincerity felt among the
nations OF the world. Anything less Is
halfway.
For some time il was widely an
nounced by the pacifsts that the Amer
lean public was against its navy. The
opposite is the case. Editorial opinion
on both coasts demands that our re-
duced forces be maintained Even from
Omaha, Chicago. Kansas City and other
inland cities come protests against the
parsimonous policy of Congress. The
people found out why we needed a
navy during the war. They are willing
to reduce it by International agreement.
hut they are not willing 10 throw !.
away entirely.
Congress must realize its duty or an
swer for il in the next elections. The
Rivers and Harbors bill passed by the
Economists OF this Congress will not
he forgotten, nor viii the assaults on the
safety OF the nation. II Is understood
that two prominent Republican Repre-
sentatives are already feeling the re-
suits OF opposing the Administrations
program in these rpspectg
The Presidents announcement foreibly
brings to mind that men alone do not
make navy. Ships, docks. fuel. general
supplies ordnance and other items must
he carefully looked after. And the Presi-
dent holds that the navy must be MAIN
tanned materially as well as with men.
No one has yet forgotten the fight put
up by our delegates to the arms confer
ence for two battleships to offset the
value of the Japanese Mutsu Because
OF the retention OF that great ship by
Japan, the British may build two on
tirely new $4,000 ton ships from che keel
up. We are to complete the West Vir-
ginia and the Colorado. These ships
are about 10 per cent. complete. More
than 75 percent. OF their total cost has
already been expended. True. they are
not so large. so fast. or so powerful AS
the Japanese Mutsu or Negato. but
they have at least 90 per cent. OF the
power of these Japanese ships. They
are our consolation prize for the reten-
ton OF the Mutsu They must be COM
pIeted n we are to retain our material
battleship ratio OF TO for England
and for Japan.
wish 10 scrap the Navy.
However. Il has developed that there
are those in Congress who are refusing
n oil lou he rtat 10.
pletion of these ships. These Congress-
men can unearth no scandal as 10 the
design or the contracts for the ships. !
they merely wish 70 scrap the navy In
les entirety without any international
agreement.
Almost the same situation has de-
veloped In the case OF the Omaha class
Of ten light cruisers. These vessels will
be very excellent ones. far ahead OF any
OF their foreign contemporaries. when
complete. Foreign nations were forced
TO recognize our lack Of the type at the
conference. st present we haven't n
single modern fast cruiser in our navy
~ ffty in the British navy and two
dozen. built and building. in the Japan
ese navy. Not only may we complete
these ships under the terms OF the naval
treaty. but build new ones MS well. We
nsxy even retain all OF our old armored
the right types. even though most ~
our armored cruisers are outside tho
treaty limits. Three Of them carry 10
inch guns. while the treaty prcseribes
that the S-inch gun shall be the largest
carried and eight or them are over
$4,000 tons displacement. while the
treaty provides that no cruisers shall oX-
coed 10000 tons.
Despite this recognition nv foreign
nations that we haven't enough cruisers
building. Congress stands ready to re-
fuse even enough money To complete
the few vessels we have on the stocks
+, aud ABSOLUTELY declines 10 pass the neces-
snry appropriations 10 allow us 10 main
tain our ratio with England and Japan
We haven't a. flotilla leader In our
Navy. while every other service has
them IN numbers But Congress win
not provide even ono o. these very neces-
sary little ships.
Marked hesitancv Il being shown IN
maxim appropriations ~ save trc 500
100000 tied M w tWo battle cruisers.
which ate moro tnsu - ger cent com
klctc. True. wi cannot complete gic