The Monmouth inquirer., 1924-06-05
$50 MILLION NAVY
BILL PASSED
Eight New Cruisers and CONVEX
sion of Six BattIeshipS to Oil
Burners Provided For.
ARMS CONFERENCE IN VIEW
To Maintain $50 Ratlo--Expenditur
of $50, 900 involved in Pro-
gram Which Is Expected Also
to Pass the Senate.

Washington.-By a vote of 166 to
1SS, the House passed the Butler
Navy bill, involving an expenditure
of about $15O,000,0O0 for additions to
the feet and improvements in first
line battleships in measure Admin
istration authorities assert, will, il
concurred in by the Senate, go far
toward establishing the American
Navy on a basis of 5-5-3 in relation to
the navies of Great Britain and Japan.
The Butler bill provides for the con-
struction of eight modern scout cruis-
ers, six river gunboats and the mod
ernization of six battleships. 1t is the
most comprehensive naval building
program that has been approved by
the House since the close of the
World War.
Administration leaders are con-
fident that the bill will be accepted by
the Senate. In that event, it is the gem
eral expectation that President Cool
idge will call conference looking to
the negotiation of supplemental
treaty limiting the size and tonnage of
auxiliary ships and aircraft and cur
taiIment Of the personnel of the naval
establishments of the leading powers.
That the President awaits an au-
thorization by Congress for the build
ing of cruisers before taking steps for
a further limitation IF armament was
a thought that was frequently ex-
pressed in the course of recent de-
bate He is also awaiting action by
Europe on the Dawes report with re-
gard to reparations.
1--WE all know that another interna-
tional conference will be called with
in year." observed Representative
Butler, of Pennsylvania, Chairman of
the Committee on Naval Affairs, at
one stage of the discussion.
The Butler bill as it now goes to
the Senate provides for eight cruisers,
each to cost, exclusive of armament,
S11.100,00O, and six river gunboats for
service in China, each to cost, exclu-
sive of armament, 100000. 1t also
authorizes an appropriation of
$1S,36O,00O to recondition the battle
ships New York, Texas, Florida,
Utah, Arkansas and Wyoming, and to
convert them into oil burners.
The total provided for the cruisers
in this bill is $S8,800,000; for the
, gunboats, $4,3O0,OOO. These two
items, with that Of s1S.36O,OOO for
overhauling the six battleships, make
total of $111,460, 900. 1t is estimated
that the armor for the cruisers and
the gunboats will ultimately run the
total expenditure to little more than
$3.50 100000.
Three important amendments were
incorporated in the Butler bill. One
of them directs the President 10 sus-
pend any or all of the construction
program in case he decides to call an
other conference. This was offered by
Representative Montague Of Virginia,
Democrat Another, presented jointly
by Representatives LaGuardia of New
York and Hull of Iowa, Republicans,
stipulates that the cruisers and gun
boats shall be constructed in Govern
ment yards If the Secretary of the
Navy decides that it can be done more
economically in this manner than by
private contract
Another amendment, introduced by
Representative Taylor of West Vir-
ginia, Democrat, directs that the
armor for the cruisers and gunboats
shall be made In the Government
plant at South Charleston, W. Va.
Every effort made by Small navy"
members to cut down the building
program met with defeat While the
bill was passed by comparatively
small margin, early test votes indi-
Gated that, despite demands for econ
omy, the House was determined to
adopt the building program without
change A motion to strike out Sec
ton 2, authorizing the construction of
the eight cruisers, was beaten by a
vote of 112 to "a.