Evening star., 1922-02-13
Secretary Asks House Com
mittee to Fix Personnel for
Fiscal Year at $4,000.
SAVING OF $70,0O0,0 900
TO RESULT, HE THINKS
Recommends Reducing Annapolis
Appointments, But Would Keep
All Present Line Officers.

StCTttdTS bSNDy dpptdItu peloi
the House naval committee today to
recommend that the Navy personnel
for the next fiscal year be fixed at
10000 men and G.O00 apprentices. as
compared with the 100000 men and
5000 apprentices now authorized.
Mr.. DENLY recommended that there
be no reduction in the existing
strength of line officers of the Navy;
that the first class at Annapolis be
graduated and commissioned. but
that appointments to the academy be
| reduced to three for each member of
Congress, instead of five.
The naval Secretary recommended
that 100 destroyers be placed out of
| commission. He estimated that the
program he outlined would effect a
saving of SI0,0G0,000 in next years
budget.
Americas Future Navy.
by the terms of the treaty" he
said, ''the United States will have
| remaining. eighteen batueships. SIC
! destroyers. thirty-thre cruisers. II.
| submarines. 1876 auxiliaries and 152
| small vessels. 1t is clear that no def
mite conclusions as to the future
strength of the United States Navy
should be reached until ratification
| by the Senate of the pending treaty
| because we shall not know absolutely
| until then that the treaty will be-
come effective. This COmplicates the
| question of personnel"
Mr.. DENLY described the status Of
the fleet in commission today, show.
| ing that battleships carry about 81
per cent complement. destroyers from
! SO to so per cent and submarines
from 40 per cent up.
Undermanned Now. He Says.
cit is quite clear that the Navy. in
enlisted and commissioned personnel
both, is undermanned today" he said.
| 1T is clear in your mind, undoubt-
| ediy, that the rule applied in appor-
t.oning Of vessels in the different
| navies (under the treaty. was what
was called the navies needed for ma
tionai safety, and the results were ar.
rived at after q most careful study OF
the situations confronting each ma
tion p,rticip.tins in .e.tass the treaty; ,,lt if
eighteen battleships is regarded by
| the governments signatory to the
treaty as the necessary quota for the
safety of the United States"
Navy Has No Scouts.
Mr.. DENLY pointed out that until the
ty-four-knot scout cruisers now
under construction were completed
the Navy would have mo vessel other
| than the destroyer capable Of making
even twenty five knots an hour" since
| the battle cruisers were not to be
completed.
I'm other words" he said, I'VE shall
| have no scouts. / take 1t there is no
question as to the completion of these
ten scout cruisers, and that the work
will proceed upon them with rapfdity
until they are finished"
The Secretary said figures on per-
sonnel he presented were based on
that assump.i9a and nssasa his belief tn; that t
any of its present personnel" with
the exception of the reduction in en-
listed strength of 10000 men he rec
commended.
Not an Easy Task.
Secretary Denby's statement point
ed out that since 1919 the wartime
naval establishment had been re-
duced from 1862 vessels in commits
sion to 800, the commissioned person
mel from 32,2Os to 6.163 and the en-
listed force from 4s0,723 to 1oo.sss.
"It is not easy" he said, ito get
back to normaicy from such vast ex-
pansion."
Mr. DENLY said the net result OF the
naval limitation conference today Is
that Great Britain is to have twenty
two capital sfips. the United States
eighteen and Japan ten, there being
no limitation on auxiliary combat
craft except as to the size and arma-
ment Of future vessels.
m
DENLY said. the United States had
4S battleships. 35 cruisers. 3l7 de-
stroyers. 14s submarines. 1877 auxil-
iary craft and 164 mosquito fleet"
vessels.
Says Omcers Co-Operated.
Mr.. Denby said Navy officers had
"loyally and earnestly" co-operated in
the efforts at national retrenchment
Since he took office. he added. 246
naval ships had been sold and the
money turned into the Treasury, and
as a further retrenchment step the
naval revolving fund of $250.0o0.0 .000
; would be retncned to sls0.000.0O0. the
sa-e to cut it. The 100000, 900 cut
off the fund. he said. would be turned
into the Treasury in cash.
Mr.. DENLY said that by placing loo
would release $500 enlisted men and
effect a saving Of $13.40o.000. An
additional $500 enlisted men could
be cut off, he added. In contemplated
| economies at shore stations.
! Il need scarcely add that X II is
found at any time that We can dis
pense with more men with due re-
gard to the proper insurance Of the
United States against that possible
| attack from which even treaties DC
not absolutely guarantee us. MT
DENLY said, the men VIII be with.
drawn and the ships disposed OF.
Belief IL Earnest.
Il make these Recommendation "
the most earnest belief that the Unit
ed States needs the protection thai
the Navy as above indicated will give
. under present world conditions. 1t Ii
, not in any sense a navy for aggres'
s>on that Is asked for; II Is navy
for protection and to discharge thu
many missions unconnected with wai
and required by our government at al
INF Mr. DENLY said estimated with
: drawals from the Treasury for tht
Navy for the fiscal year 1922 were
: s47S,oOO,O00 With the economies W.
l nlanned, the reduction in the build
, ing program and the placing out o.
commission of the 100 destroyers. h,
added, he felt confident the 1879 hsca
year estimates could be reduced u
. $350.000.000.
Indications Of considerable opposi
, ton to the INSTRUMENTATION Tor {
1C.ontinued on Page 2, Column II