The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-04-09
MEASURE CARRIES S233,224,OOOFOR
 NAVY DURING 1923
Cuts Enlisted Personnel to 65,000 and Lays Up 254 Vessels of Nondescrlpt
 Character
By Associated Press

Washington, April S.-The 1923 naval bill, carrying out the 5-5-3 ratio, was reported today to the House.
 It carries a total of $2S9 ,224, ,000, or $1Sl, 100000 less than appropri- ated last year. There remains to be appropriated in a separate measure later, however, about $60,000, ,000. estimated by the navy department as the cost of cancellation of contracts for ships not completed and ordered scrapped.
 Briefly this is what the bill does;
 Cuts the enlisted personnel from s5,Ooo to e5,ooo. plus 1000 appren- tices.
 Leaves officer total substantially intact, except for the dropping of sss reserve officers on active duty.
 Authorizes commissions for only 200 of the 535 first class men st Annapolis, to be graduated in June,
 Lays up 254 vessels "of ncn- uescrlpt character.
 Eighteen battlships are allot- ted the United States under the naval treaty. Tn rounding out a fleet, the bill reduces the number of destroyers in commission from 27s to 1o3; au- thorizes S4 submarines, all the cruisers, and lighter auxiliary craft.
 Out of the 67000 enlisted person mel It provides 50,000 for ships afloat.
 Provides for the same number oi officers in marine crops and 19.500 enlisted men, a reduction of less thar LOO. This number. the navy ad- Yised the committee. will be cut to iT50t with the withdrawal in ths next year of 2,0o0 marines from San Domingo, who will not re-enlist.
 Kelley Explains Provisions i Representative Kelley of Michi gan | chairman of the subcommittee ol appropriations, which framed and re porte the bill. made public with tIls i bill the following statement explain. ing it's provisions
 The bill reported to the House 70. l day carries an appropriation for tn. l coming fiscal year of $233,224.000 | This amount is s193,000 900 less thar the naval estimates. and s1S1 ,00O. 9Nt less than the sum carried in last l years bill. It has been possible tC make these heavy reductions without disturbing the 5-5-3 ratio established 1 by the treaty.
 Three important reasons form .he basis of this great reduction. First, because of agreements reached by the conference on tn. limitation of armaments stopping al work on IA capital ships under con. struction, and providing for the | Scv pD nf at taI obt ia, of the pre- e-dreadnaught type.
 Second by laying up surplus de. stroyers built during the war foi convoy purposes and not required IT 1 connection with the IS battleshiI | fleet allowed under the treaty. | Third, by eliminating from the lis of naval vessels to be kept in com mission some 254 vessels of a non, descript character of little or ac military value, including eagle boats sub chasers, tugs, yachts, motorboat, and miscellaneous craft of small 1 tonnage by the score"
 Must Abandon Dead Wood
 "If all of these hundreds of small vessels. built or picked up during the war to meet a special need, are to be ietained in the service and kept lr full commission, tens of thousands of dollars will be required for theii maintenance, repairs and personnel l No greater service can be performed ior the navy at this time than to cut out all this vast accumulation of dead wood It does not contribute a feath- CTS weight to the national defense in fact. il constitutes nillstons around the neck of the navy.
 We are providing in this bill, suf- ficient personnel to keep in full com mission 103 destroyers or all that the navy department requested to be kept in full commission. The balance oi .hc destroyers are military asset oi