Evening star., 1925-10-18

| in the Bureau of Navigation, where
| the bill has been referred for report.
Meetings that were planned were
abandoned because number of Off
GERS from the bureau were called to
the Capitol to testify in the air in
vestigation. BY the present progress
the bill will not be in the hands of
the Secretary much before NoVem-
ber /.
In the meantime the Secretary has
been making some inquiries as to the
sentiment of the officers generally
on the bill and he is receiving some
very disquieting reports from the
! junior officers. Even the considera-
ton of the bill with such drastic pro-
visions, it is said, has had very de-
I pressing effect upon officers in the
| lower grades. A great many of them
are said to be looking around for
places in civil life in the event that
| the bill becomes a law. They plan to
| tender their designations rather than
| to stay in the service under the con-
ditions that will be created if the bill
passes.
This, however, will not prevent Rep
resentative Britten from reintroduc-
| ing the bill in some form and bring
| ing it up In the naval affairs com
mittee of the House when Congress
| convenes. OF course there will be
| lltdilllSS Oh llllS ON anu iiIlSIiuIlltlllS
will be proposed by different members
| of the committee. Under the claim
that it will reduce the pay of the
Navy a million dollars, Mr.. Britten
| thinks that he can get favorable
report and secure the passage of the
| bill.
The first Christmas announcement
| to come from the Navy Department
is that the Henderson will make a
| trip to San Francisco from the East
| coast and return by Christmas. The
movements of the transports and the
! fleet at large are now being arranged
| so that officers and men will be able
| to spend Christmas at home or near
| home this year as in former years.
All OF the scouting fleet in the At
lantic will be at it's home ports dur
| ing the holidays. 1t will be imDos
! sible to do as well for the battle fleet
as it will be in the San Diego and
| San Pedro waters during the holt-
days. At the same time shore leaves
In the vicinity Of Hollywood will not
| be such a doleful affair. No doubt
the people in that vicinity Will have
officers and men when they come
| ashore.
People who intend to remember
their friends in the service in far-off
Philippines, Guam and Hawaii will
shortly be advised to begin packing
their presents. The Chaumont will
sail from San Francisco on November
| "a and is due to arrive in the Philip
pines on December %, only three days
! before Santa Claus arrives. She will
stop at Honolulu and will not neglect
| Guam. The Kittery is the last trans
port that will leave the West Indies
before Christmas. She is due to sail
| from Hampton Roads on December
II, and the folks that have friends
| at Guantanamo will have more time
to prepare their gifts.
| There is no present arrangements
| by which gifts can be sent to the Eu-
! ropean fleet in a Government trans
port. People who wish to remember
officers and men in the European fleet
| will be required to send their presents
| in the usual way by commercial lines.
Unexpectedly the home yard of the
Seattle, the flag ship of the United
States fleet, has been transferred from
the Bremerton yard on the West
coast to the New York Navy Yard.
She is expected to arrive on the East
coast by November 8 and will spend
most of the time in the Atlantic.
A number of developments. it is
said, led to the transfer of the COM
mander-in-chief of the fleet from the
Pacific to the Atlantic. The striking
of a million dollars from the budget
estimates for fuel has resulted in the
abandonment of the proposed trip to
the west coast of South America as
| scheduled in the program of the feet
| by the general board. In the next
fiscal year the only maneuvers that
are planned will be joint affair at