Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1922-10-12
ADDRESSES
PAYETTE PEOPLE

spoke to fairly good audience Tues
day evening at the court house an
held the closest attention during tn
course of his address, and for tn
most part, confined himself to ma
tional issues. Mr.. French was en-
thusiastic touching the work GOV
cred by the administration during tn,
past eighteen months, and outlined
and Congress. He had no hesitancy
in saying that in his judgment the
greatest achievement of the Harding
administration was the limitations OF
the Armament Conference, and point
cd out it's effect internally and as ap.
piled to our own country. A striking
point was made when he referred to
the effect of the fruits of the con-
ference on the cost ON maintaining
the navy of the United States.
Mr.. French said, zone of the first
results of the Limitation OF Arma-
ments will be reflected in the scaling
down of the expenses of maintaining
the navies of the world. Let me IL
lustrate by showing the effect upon
the cost of maintaining the navy of
the United States. For many years
we have been increasing our navy.
This has been done more recently
following the Naval Program of 1915
and the Three Year Program added
later, all of which it was planned
should be completed in 1925. AT
that time it was estimated that it
would cost from s600,0O0,O00 toI
$S00,000,000 every year for main-
tenance alone. This does not take
into consideration the cost of forti-
fications and emergency expense that
might be necessary. 1t takes into
consideration only the annual budget
for the support of the navy. l at
tended most of the public Limita-
tions of Armament conferences and |
l was present when Secretary Hughes
proposed that we scrap the ten bat
tie ships that are now in progress of
building and for which we had ex-
pended more than 100000. II
was present when Secretary Hughes
proposed that we scrap still others
of our fleet. I was present when
Secretary Hughes proposed that we
limit the number of air craft carriers
that We limit the size of guns upon
our ships; that we limit fertilization
activities; all upon conditions that the
other great naval powers would do
the same; and 1 was present when
vote was taken upon these PROPOSE
tions and Great Britain and France
and Japan and Italy and China and
the United States and other nations
voted unanimously for
the program. These treaties have
been ratified already by the United
States, Great Britain and Japan, the
three foremost naval powers of the
world and at once the reduction was
reflected in the size of the appro-
priation for the support of the navy.
When Congress assembled the
Navy department asked for approx
mately s4OO, 100000. Following the
action of the Limitation of Arma-
ments Conference we reported out
bill In the amount of approximately
S296,O00,000 and you can see that ,
this amount will take care of the
navy of the present size, while uponI
the completion of the program that ii
to a moment ago 1t would
cost by 1925 from s600,00O,0Oo TO
SSOO,OO0,OO0 every year. Add to {
the saving of from 100000, 900 to
500,000,000 IN maintenance alon.
the savings from refraining from ex-
penstye fortification work and look. v
ing ahead covering a period of ten
years. 1t is easy to figure that in
dollars alone the United States will
have saved not less than from four I
to five billions. 1 have referred toi
the fruits of the Limitation Confer
ence touching the navy alone. But
the fruits are of incalcuable benefit {
when we contemplate that the best t
results will mean that the same H. s
nancial savings will be made BY
other nations and the turning Of the
minds of the world towards peace"