New-York tribune., 1922-04-09
Navy Cost Cut
$l81,OOO,OOO
In 1923 Bill
-
tCsnsirued from pses on.I

y HStloh of armaments stopping all work
Il On fourteen capital ships under CON
4 struction and providing for the scrap-
/ ping of fifteen other capital ships Of
Il tae prc-dreadrought type
/. Second, by laying IN surplus dc
/; seroyers built during the war for con-
j rcction with the eighteen hattieship
/ sect allowed under the treaty
: Third, by eliminating from tho list
/ @, naval vessels 30 be kept IN comma.
ISon some 2o4 vessels OF nondeScript
--eharacter OF little or no military value
/ Including eagle boats, ub-chasers.
E-4ngs, yachts, motorboats and misceI-
..sAaneous craft Of small tonnage by the
score
~ all OF these hundreds Of small
-~-.Ses sells. built or picked up during the
war to meet special need. are TO he
retained in the service and kept in full
commission tons Of millions Of dollars
VIII be required for their maintenance
repairs and personnel. No greater
service can be performed for the navy
~ TINS time than to cut out all this
vast accumulation OF dead wood I;
GOES not contribute q fca therweigh1 to
the national defense In fact. it con
stitutes milestone around the neck of
the navy.
Provisions for Personnel
I'VE are providing in this bill suhi
cient personnel to keep IN full com
mission 1903 destroyers, or all that the
Navy Department requested to be kept
IN full commission The balance o.
the destroyers are military asset Of
great value They are to be put out
o. commission. but kept in hrst-class
condition. This policy will save the
enormous expense of personnel. fuel
oil, repairs and upkeep Of -his great
feet OF surplus vessels
4oN L.
United States is TO retain eighteen
eattleships. The appropriation carried
N TINS bill Is sufficient to proyde per
sonnel for keeping all Of these battle
ships IN full commiss with as large
a complement OF men on board as has
neen carried in recent months, to-
Eether with l03 destroyers, eighty four
submarines. all our available cruisers,
necessary oilers. tenders. airplane car
riers, ammunition ships. Golfers. stccc
ships and every other auxiliary re
quired to make the eighteen capital shin
feet, well rounded out and properly
manned and oaicered
In short, the bill seeks TO give
effect to all reductions made possible
by the work Of tho conference and a.
the same time makes ample provision
Tor maintaining our relative naval
strength unimpaired
]
"lt will be interesting 10 the country
70 know that Gront Britain mas pro
Vided in her estimates for the coming
year for only $500 officers, enlisted
men, marines and students in training
schools and naval academies Thha
rurnber also includes about 5000 men
IN the Coast Guard service. while our
Coast Guard is under the Treasury De
psrtment. 1t does not, however, in
clude personnel for aviation, while the
bill reported makes provisions for
200 men for aviation. 1t ought also
10 be said that the British figures do
not include about 1000 officers, men
and boys, maintained by the dominion
governments, principally by Australia
The whole number Of officers, en-
Listed men. marines, students and mid
shipmen provided for in this bill mum
hers 97600. SO that the British naval
establishment and ours, so far per
sonnel is concerned, Will stand almost
exactly at the same point The esti-
mates for the British navy. exclusive
Of pensions, amounts to e54, 900. 600.
Calculating the pound a $3.50 its pres
ent exchange value, the British appro-
priauons for the coming year for naval
purposes would amount to 1924 600, 600
This bill carries $233.224 600, or almost
ldentlcally the same amount.
FS 10 Japan, uSuFeS as to perSOnnel
or probable appropriations are not
available. However. Japan is permitted
to retain only ten ba,tleships under
the treaty. She has, all told, sixty
two destroyers and twenty-seven sub
marines. With such small fleet it is
difficult to imagine how she could use
in excess Of 10000 men in her navy.
at will be seen, therefore. that
whether measured by personnel pro
vided for or by the total amount ap-
proprated, or by the lighting strength
and efficiency Of the ships to be kept
IN full comm ssion. the bill reported
70 Congress preserves the 5-5-3
ratio agreed upon by the conference
and at the same time translates into
reality the nope and expectancy
created by the conference that the
enormous burdens incident to prepara-
ton for war would he materially re-
duced. bespeak for the bill the
whole-hearted support OF the American
people
Secretary Dcnbys original estimate