Evening star., 1927-12-13
AWAITS
PROGRAM OF NAVY
LongWorth Describes House
as in Ambitious Mood
for Cruiser Building.

With the House described by
Speaker Longworth as being in an
ambitious mood" which would sup
port an adequate program for ma
val expansion" and with this pro-
gram understood on Capitol Hill as
including the construction of 25
cruisers. fleet submarines, 1S de-
stroyer leaders, to airplane car
riers and authorization for new bat.
tleships. President Coolidge was rep
resented today as still awaiting final
conclusions by the Navy before laying
the administrations ship-building pro-
gram before Congress.
In addition to fiat declaration at
the White House to the effect that the
President has approved no program,
lit was stated that the Navy Depart.
ment itself has reached no final con
clusions on the recommendations II
would make to the President. While
It was reiterated that the administra.
ton has known all along that Amer
lean cruiser strength would have to
be increased, regardless of any sup.
Elementary agreement possibly to be
reached at Geneva, the extent of addi-
tional cruiser construction still re-
mains to be decided, it was stated.
Statement Surprise.
The White House statement today
came as a surprise in that both
Speaker Longworth. who has al
ready conferred with the President
regarding the Navy's building pro.
gram. and Representative Vinson of
Georgia, a Democrat. on the House
naval committee, seemed familiar
with what was understood to be the
Navy's program for expansion. Mr..
Longworth sald today. however. that
gram had been approved by Presi-
dent Coolidge.
Since the breakup of the Geneva
conference, held last Summer in an
effort to extend the provisions of the
Washington naval limitations confer
ence. there has been considerable con-
lecture as to the extent of the Navy's
future program in view of the failure
to reach an agreement with Great
Britain and Japan on cruisers. 1t
was accepted from the first that even
If the conference at Geneva was sue
cessful, the American Navy would
nevertheless have to embark upon a
building program in order to bring its
strength, up to that provided in the
Washington treaty. Failure Of the
conference, however, has been inter.
preted as encouraging advocates of a
'big Navy" in their efforts to begin
a program not only to bring the Navy
up to par with other powers. but pos.
sibly to put it ahead.
Has Talked With President.
The administration point of view.
however. has been that the United
states would maintain a Navy COM
mensurate with its needs and regard
less of the intentions of other powers
1t was generally believed that i'm the
interval between the failure of the
Geneva conference last Summer and
the opening of Congress, the admins.
tration would have drawn up and
approved definite statement of the
Navy's needs. The White House
statement today indicates that neither
the Navy nor the administration has
completed its program.
Speaker Longworth, according to
the Associated Press, disclosed that
since the convening of Congress ne
has conferred with President Cool
idge as to the temper of the House for
a five-year naval building program and
how far House members would be will.
ing to go in voting funds for new
war craft.
Mr.. Longworth said that he told
the President he believed the House
was in an ambitious mood" and
that 1t would support an adequate
program for naval expansion.
Program Is Reported.
The Speaker said that he also had
been advised that the Navy Depart
mem had prepared comprehensive
building program and while he was
not sure of all Of it's provisions. he
believed the recommendations would
cal for % cruisers s feet subma-
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