The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1922-02-16
WORK ON War VESSELS
SUSPENDED BY PRESIDENT
Immediate Savings of $1,000, 900
MOnthly-Naval Personnel
To Be Cut.

Washington, Feb. 14-There was
not moments delay in putting into
effect the disarmament policy made
possible by the Five-Power Naval
Limitation treaty. Even before the
treaties were delivered to the United
States Senate and before some of the
foreign delegates had left Washing
ton, President Harding ordered all
work suspended upon construction of
all war vessels, which under the pro-
visions of the treaty (if ratified by
all the powers) would be scrapped.
This included eight first class battle
ships and cruisers now under con-
struction in government and private
shipbuilding yards at various points
in the United States. Work on some
Of these battleships was 70 per cent
complete while on others it had hard
ly commenced. The naval construc-
ton thus halted by orders Of
President Harding has been costing
the government S5,OOO,OOO month.
Of course, in event some nation re-
fuses to ratify the naval treaty, and
it thereby fails to go into effect,
work upon these vessels will be re.
sumed. In event the treaty does be-
come effective, however, the work
thus suspended viii be wholly aban-
doned and what has been done upon
the vessels will be later destroyed
according to the treaty.
In addition to ordering all naval
construction work upon these vessels
suspended pending the consideration
Of the naval treaty by the respective
powers, President Harding ordered
all work uDon the various fortified
tons and naval bases in insular pos
ocean stopped in accordance with the
naval treaty, which provides that
Except the Hawaiian Islands. the
Alaskan coast, the coast Of the main
land Of the United States and the
Panama Canal Zone) all fortified
tionsand naval bases in insular pos
sessions of the United States in the
Pacific ocean must not be strength
ened and no new Notifications or base
may be established. This includes
the Isle of Guam, all of the Philip
pine group and other insular possess
sions of the United States in the
Pacific.
So promptly did President Hard
ing act that twelve large naval guns
] enroute to the Notifications of Cor
regidor Island of the Philippines, were
stopped by wireless and ordered I'M
( loaded at Honolulu.
The stoppage of all this naval con,
struction work and the stoppage of
any strengthening of our insular
Notifications and naval bases not
only means a tremendous reduction
/ in cost of construction and material.
but it means a radical reduction in
| personnel. The Congress and the
Navy department are both at work
upon plan for reducing the person.
mel of the navy, consistent with the
reduction Of naval armament. AL
though the authorized strength of the
navy is $4,000 men, the present en-
listed personnel is only about 1867
600, with a commissioned list of
400. Undoubtedly there will be a
substantian reduction from thisfgure.
Some of the radical opponents of the
navy insist upon reducing the person.
mel to $4,000. 1t is understood, how
ever, that the administration is OPP
posed to such a sweeping reduction
and will insist that the force be cut to
not less than 10000.