The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-05-24
WHBUR'S,PLEA
 TO GO UNHEEDED
 AT THIS SESSION
Clogged Calendar To Pre- vent Senate Action To
 Strengthen Navy
By THOMAS l.. STOKES tBy Leased Wire To .Age-Herald)


 WASHINGTON, May 23.-Despite the plea of Secretary of the Navy Will bur for appropriations to bring the bat tie fleet up to par, there appears little Likelihood of final action before Con- gress adiourns on those measures de- sired to bring the navy up to the naval limitations treaty ratio.
 The obstacle is the Senate, where a clogged calendar bars speedy action. Before the necessary bills can be brought to the floor they must be con sidered by the Senate naval affairs con- mittee, Chairman Hale said Friday, and hearings by the committee, he Stated, will await action by the House.
 Next Wednesday, the House will take up the $150,00O,000 bill providing eight light cruisers, reconditioning of six first-line battleships and six river gunboats for operation in China. Chair man Butler, of the House naval affairs committee, said Friday that the measure would be passed.
 Hale Defends Present Navy
 Reaction to Wilbur's report was gen. orally to arouse a desire to push the necessary legislation through. Senator Hale, of Maine, however, made a lengthy speech on the floor in defense of the navy, as it stands Friday, de- claring that i've are nearer the 5-5-3 ratio at the present time than we were at the time of the signing of the treaty"
 "That we shall eventually reach that ratio throughout the navy I believe should be our future policy" he said.
 Ship by ship, with the exception of our two oldest ships, our battleships are of greater tonnage, carry more or heavier guns, and are more heavily armored than the present British ships. Their speed, however, is somewhat less than that of the British ships, and the same is true to a lesser extent in com parison with the battleships in Japan.
 The battle cruisers of both England and Japan carry heavy guns and are much faster than our battleships; but, as they are not heavily armored, in act ual battle with guns of an equal range this class of ships could not stand up against our battleships."
 Calls Report UnfOunded
 Hale said that numerous reports which have been circulated about the ''deplorable" condition of the fleet are unfounded. He approves, however, of AVilbur's recommendations, and said that if the legislation was mot enacted at this session, it would be the first of next. The appropriations, he said would not be available at any rate until next year.
 Butler, in ,the House, said that he does not expect any other legislation by the House at this session except the bill to be taken up Wednesday. He says that all of Wilbur's fecommenda- tions should be carried out, but that the press of other business incident to ad- journment will not allow it.
 Wilbur asked, in addition, for money to modernize 13 first-line battleships, by raising the gun elevation and installing anti-aircraft and anti-submarine pro tection, and for building three mine laying submarines. Representative Britten of Illinois, ranking republican member on the naval affairs commit tee, has introduced a bill providing $6,500,000 for elevation of guns.