Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-12-19

attempting to express the views of
| the President. Chairman Butler point
ed out there was nothing to prevent
the Chief Executive from sending sup
Elemental estimates to Congress for
beginning the construction of some
of the 10 new cruisers at the present
session, after the passage of his bill.
He said he intended to bring the
bill in as soon as possible with
| favorable report, perhaps Tuesday,
and as soon as he could get special
rule for it's consideration to put 1t
through without delay.
Navy Dropping Behind.
After the Presidents budget mes
| sage had been received, the House
naval affairs committee Immediately
began hearings to determine the com
parative strength of the United States
Navy and those of the other treaty
powers. 1t was developed at these
hearings that the American Navy is
dropping behind. The committee sent
a communication to the President
which has not vet been made public,
and the conference at the White
House Friday night was a sequel.
BY the act of December 10, 1924,
Congress authorized the construction
of eight new light cruisers. Congress
has made appropriations to begin the
construction of five of these cruisers,
and two have already been laid down.
The three that have not yet been APP
propriated for constitute the bone of
contention between the White House
and proponents of immediate con-
struction at the Capitol.
Chairman Butler estimated the total
cost of the new cruisers proposed in
his bill, including armament, would
be between thirteen and fourteen mil
lion dollars each. They will be
equipped with 8-inch guns and cap
able of speed of 35 knots, he said
and with a wide cruising radius.
Limitation Plans Held Failure.
Members of the naval affairs com
mittee, after listening to statements
regarding the proposed limitation of
arms conference, are not enthusiast
over the outcome of the pronosal 1t
was pointed out that for three years
the administration has been trying to
get other nations to agree to stop
competitive building of auxiliary
naval craft and so far without sue
cess.
Chairman Butler was inclined to
take the view that the program now
proposed would be a notice to the
other powers that the United States
was prepared to go ahead with
building program.
I'VE took our dogs of war out and
killed them" he said, referring TO the
scrapping of capital ships after the
Washington conference. THE other
nations killed theirs, but they have
put two pups in the place OF each dog
they killed"
The latest figures available at the
Navy Department on vessels laid
down and appropriated for since the
Washington conference show that the
United States has laid down or ap-
propriated for 16; Great Britain, 81;
Japan, ZIG; France, S8, and Italy, as.
Britain and Japan Leading.
So far as modern cruisers are con.
cerned, the United States is far be-
hind Great Britain and Japan. In
cluded in this classification are
cruisers of 5000 to 10000 tons, carry
ing to 8 inch guns and capable of
q knots or more. The United States
has 10 such cruisers built and two
building, total tonnage $4,000; Great
Britain has 40 built and II building,
total tonnage, 304.290; Japan has 10
built and SIX building, total tonnage,
156,205; France, three built and six
building, total tonnage, 70,350; Italy
has eight built and two building, total
tonnage, 50,784.
In the matter of fleet submarines.
the United States also is tagging be-
hind Great Britain and Japan So
far as other submarines and destroy
ers are concerned, however, the
United States outranks both Great
Britain and Japan