The Washington times., 1922-11-03
SLASH IN NAVY
BUDGET RAISES
INTERNAL ROW
Secretary DENLY Threatens to
Quit II Lords Figures
Prevail.
I5y WILLIAM y. FIYTIiE,
Universal service.

ItuuCe hoNtTIlineHt expenses nave
dealt a blow that seriously jeop-
ardizes the right of the United
States navy to be rated as
first-class sea fighting force.
Estimates for the fiscal year
1924 have been slashed by the
budget authorities in manner
that will weaken the navy far
below the strength contemplated
in the naval armament treaty not
yet year old, competent au-
thoritics assert.
becomes Third Power.
l'ud'r the allowance made. the
navy Will be- unable 10 rank win
Great Britain and Japan. but will
become = third instead OF inst
power.
ApprOXimat"ly $40 600 OOO was
asked for To complete construction Of
capital ships permitted under the
arms limitation agreement 4 sum
between SlO.0oO, 900 and $4,000, ,GO0
on.y is allowed 10y tn" budget Bu
enough to build uu" Irst.rla>S
haltlrship. .>p.rlS drrlu,. All
auxiliary oldft construction viii
urrrssallly HAY" 10 b" abandoned.
Tn" situation j. 50 u"udc!nG tina
Secretary D-nhN ma. talked of r."
signing rather than So" the navy
wrecked and thu country made de-.
f.nS-lcss n tod General Lord
Budget Director. very frankly that
he would appeal the chSr 10 1h"
President rather thar agree 20 IN"
budget as fixed for Ia" navy.
Put Up to Harding.
The whol" question was h"iOr.
President Harding to-day and 'h"r"
was some hope that arrangements
would he mad" Temporal Ily +" at.
lust the difficulty. hut naval cN'
u,rts declare that ONLY IN" sum
asked for viii keep iii" navy in III"
nusiiIon contemplated fnr It under
he armuW-nts treaty.
Tine most that = hoped i"r j. that
.nrnrtimc in lH21 OF l"2" tn" nHv"N
viii L.. alb" 10 complete IN" two bat
ur-niuS and two airplan" Calliris
now uud-r construction and per
united under the Limitation of arIna.
m.nts agreement.
\ total Of nearly SS5,oo6.ooo IL
needed Ia complete TN" building pro.
cram now actually under way II
WAS learned at rhc Navy Depart
ru,nt This * for he fiscal year Of
l'23.24 Instead ot this sum tn"
navy was COMPELLED 70 ask for about
half in tn. hop" that the four Capl-
tai ships still could br completed.
Reduction Of this sum, as ordered
by the Budget Bureau not only
makes it impossible to complete IN"
rapital ships, but cuts out alto
gether tn" other craft.
The ships under way are the bat
tleships Colorado and West Virginia
I which are about so per cent com.
/ plrte. There are two battle cruisers.
the Lexington and Concord. only
about 20 per cent complete, which
are being converted into airplane
carriers.
The estimated cost for battle
cruiser is fixed at about 100000, ,0oo
and the converting process will h"
very nearly az expensive, the navy
| fears.
Points to Weakness.
In addition 20 these the navy plans
call for the construction OF ten
scout cruisers. thirty.eight sub
marines, one gunboat, two repair
ships. two destroyer tenders and one
submarine tender. This entire pro
! gram is endangered and at best Will
, have TO he seriously Curtailcd.
The ten scout cruisers are to he
OF 5000 tons and carry siX.inCh guns.
The United States has none of these
| oh haN m m "A a.
such duty as dcstroycrs are now
on in Asia tie waters and Secretary
! DENLY stresses this weakness in the
navy.
| Under the limitation OF aImaments
Iagreemcnts, Il nation is permitted To
have an unlimited number of such
craft provided they do not exceed
10000 tons and carry armaments in
leXccSS of eight.inCh guns.
Great Britain already has sixty OF
this type of scout cruisers and is
building more.
Japan has thirty of the British
type and is constructing more.
Equipped with eightinch guns,
they are formidable for almost every
class of duty in naval warfare, but
are most valuable for scout and Skin.
mish duty.
American Program.
The American program calls also
for thirty.five coast and three fleet
submarines, all of them designed
along lines of development in the late
war, and are to take the place of oh.
solete and inefficient types in the
navy at this time.
All of the other governments
which are parties 10 the armaments
agreements are building these sub
marines as rapidly as possible, re.
ports to the navy declare. But in
spite of the fact that work already is
under way on a number of the sub.
marines for this country, experts
fear IL will have to he abandoned or
seriously delayed.
The other auxiliary craft named
have little hope of coming into com.