Evening star., 1922-02-26
PRESIDENT SEEKS
NAVY COMPROMISE
Confers With House Members
in Effort to Settle Dispute
Over Strength.

President Harding inaugurated an
effort yesterday TO reconcile wide diff
ferences of opinion between the Navy
Department and Congress as to the
size and cost Of the Navy for the next
fiscal year.
At White House conference with
republican members of the House
naval committee and Representative
Mondell of Wyoming. the republican
leader. the President, seeking to COM
promise what some members have
described as the extreme views" is
said to have declared that with the
size of the Navy fixed by the arms
conference. the total enlisted person
mel ought not be less than 10000.
Secretary Derby. in outlining de-
partment needs to the committee. has
insisted on an enlisted strength OF
10000. and the present officer person
mel. including $40 members of the first
class at Annapolis to be graduated In
June. Chairman Butler and other
members of the committee have in
sisted. however. that Mr.. Denbys FIG
ures for an appropriation bill carry
ing q total of $350,000,0O0 were too
high. and reports have reached the
President that considerable num-
ber of House members were demand
ing cut so sweeping that there
might be funds enough in the new
Navy bill for only $4,000 men.
Mr.. Denby Stands Pat.
In the face Of determined opposi-
tion to his estimate, Mr. DENLY and
Admiral Coontz. chief OF naval opera
tions, announced that they stood pat
on their ngures It was because OF
this situation that the President call
ed in the republican committeeman,
with whom he conferred for an hour
and half in general exchange OF
views.
The feeling prevailed in some quar-
had hit upon an easy basis Of COM
promise and that he had let it be
known he would not approve a bill
that might efrectually scrap" the
Navy below the arms conference
point through failure to provide suffi
tleships and other craft allotted the
United States by international agree
Ment.
AS the real fight over the. size and
cost of the Navy will be before the
subcommittee on appropriations OF
publican. Michigan. is chairman. there
was suggestion that Mr.. Kelley's
and Mr.. Buffers committees or rather
the republican members of each. get
together The witnesses now appear
ing before the naval committee will
be called by the appropriations COM
mittce. which will frame the bill.
The naval committee was said to
be IN accord with the Presidents
suggestion that Congress expedite
legislation fer conversion of two
battle cruisers. now building. into
aiirlane carriers. The sum OF S10.-
100000 each has been expended on
the cruisers and Admiral coontx estt-
mated that the two could be con-
verted for sl3.0O0.000 each, which
no a -
than building anew. Vessels which
may be selected for such conversion
are building at Fore River, Mass;
Newport News and Philadelphia. and
it was pointed out that by an early
start employment could be provided
Tor a number of men.
Would Limit Entrants.
The status of the first class at An
napolis was not touched on in detail
at yesterdays conference, although
1t was said the President advocated
a sharp cut in the number of men
to be admitted each year during the
naval holiday. Chairman KeiIey's
committee. in considering informally
some means of reducing the naval
appropriation. has in mind a plan
by which 135 OF the $40 members of
the first class will be commissioned.
the others being turned back 10 civil
life.
A>ot iHuSu Was lOTtnCOHlnS as 10
the Presidents ideas concerning pos
sible reductions in the officer per
sonnel. but reports at the Capitol in
dicated that members had been i'm
pressed with the Navy argument that
to keep the treaty" on its toes a
full complement would be required
for each ship. 1t is known, however,
that the appropriations committee
plans to retire about 400 retired Of
fcers of varying rank now on active
duty.
Chairman Butler after the confer
ence announced that his committee
would continue hearing Navy Depart
ment officers. while Chairman Keiley's
committee also expects to begin its
hearings early in the week. Repre-
sentative Kelley has told members
that in framing the bill he would
stick to his announced program of
relegating to the junk heap every
ship of no military value in national
defense. the enlisted personnel total
depending on the number OF vessels
thus put out of commission.