Evening star., 1922-02-19
CUT IN NAVY FUNDS
HARDEST ON YARDS
Secretary DENLY Aims to
Concentrate on Fleet Ahead
of Shore Stations.
By the Associa ted Press.


Members of Congress have gained
an impression at the Navy Depart
ment, it was learned yesterday. that
under Secretary Denby's announced
policy of concentrating efforts on
maintenance Of tho Navy afioat. the
shore establishments. particularly
along the Atlantic coast. would be
first to feel the effect Of reduction of
naval appropriations for next year
to $250.00O,000 or less as has been
suggested in the House naval COM
mittee hearings. Mr.. Denby asked
for $350.000.000 to keep the fleet at
the "5-5-3 ratio" strength provided
for under the naval limitation treaty.
The Secretary's purpose to make
the feet his first consideration
caught the attention Of members of
both Senate and House from navy
yard states and districts. They have
inquired at the department just what
indicated slash in funds be made.
They were told that no definite plans
had been laid. 1t was said to be
obvious from a military view, how
ever, that only two Atlantic yards
would be regarded as vitality essen
that even at these reductions of
radical nature would be made If nee
essary for the sake of keeping the
maximum force afloat.
Yard Situation Acute.
The congressional callers are un-
derstood to feel that Mr.. DENLY would
recommend the closing of all other
Atlantic yards and the lease or pos
sibly even the sale Of the shore plants
rather than sacrifice any important
fleet unit. although no such plan has
actually been formulated
The question of personnel figures
in the problem because, roughly, two
men can be maintained afloat for
every man held ashore: In other
words, 1t takes one-third of the en-
listed force to keep up the purely
military tasks ashore upon which the
success of the fleet depends. The
civilian employees, the yard mechan-
les and others, are in addition to this
enlisted force ashore.
secretary Denby's suggestion that
by putting 100 destroyers out of COM
mission and reducing compliments on
many of the active ships to a point
which officers declare will work
against their efficiency in both up
keep and handling, it would be pos
sible to keep the Navy going with
10000 men. A reduction of 10000
means floating Navy Of about 10000
men. That is declared at the depart
ment to be the minimum necessary to
keep even a semblance of the "5-5-3
ratio" strength af1oat.
What $4,000 Force Means.
Reduction of the total enlisted
force to $4,000. a figure tentatively
suggested, would mean. it is stated.
reducing the active capital ship
strength under the treaty to six bat
battleships in reserve with only a
crew sufficient to keep them me-
chanically fit for operation. 1t would
mean. also, adding another hundred
destroyers to the hundred already
slated to be laid up with only care
takers aboard. and it would mean cut
ting the active submarine force to
the bone and the laying up Of un-
manned submarines. At least three
important Atlantic yards, including
the Boston yard, would be closed
down entirely under such a program,
1t is said.
The situation thus pictured and
which is understood to have prompted
the administration to abandon any
thought of getting down to the $4,000
enlisted strength figure in present
world conditions is believed to have
been laid frankly before members of
Congress by department officials
whenever the opportunity presented
itself.
In this connection the navy men
have encountered what they describe
as a deep-rooted misapprehension of
the real effect of the naval limita-
tion treaty. They have endeavored
to show that the reductions made
under the treaty are almost wholly
in future ship strength and not in
existing forces, the very keynote of
the agreement being maintenance of
the existing naval status quo af1oat
and its gradual correction to conform
with the future "5-5-3 ratio" capital
ship relativity in forces.