Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-12-15
LEADERS TO BACK
!. BIG NAVAL OUTLAY:
Sentiment in Congress in Ac.
cord With Program for
New Building.
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

The naval building program. sub
mitted to Congress by Secretary vii.
bur and declared TO be in accord with
the financial program of the President,
has met with hearty approval Oi
leaders in both houses.
The general feeling, as expressed
today is that Congress will approve
such a program. II may be changed
in some details. though that Is a mat.
ter OF mere speculation.
Both Senator Hale OF Maine, chair
man OF the Senate naval affairs com.
mittee. and Representative Butler Of
PENNSYLVANIA. declared themselves in
favor, of a naval building program.
Senator Swanson, ranking Democratic
member OF the Senate committee on
naval affairs. also expressed his ap-
prevail
Not Paper Program.
at is not paper program" Sena-
tor Hale insisted emphatically. 1T
will be carried out. The United States
to that of any other nation in the
world. The proposed naval pro-
gram is a decided step in the right
direction. 1t will serve as notice TO
the world that this country proposes
to live up to the general understanding
reached at the Washington Conference
in 1922. that the naval ratio of the
United States Great Britain and
Japan should be 5-5-3
True, the naval treaty of Washing
ton applies only TO capital ships and
to the size of cruisers and their arm
ament, hut at that time that The
United States proposed the same
ratio for auxiliary ships. and the rep.
tot Of lrit hi
Japan concurred in public statements
with the suggestion.
Il believe that the United States
should have a naval parity with
Great Britain.
Senator Hale said that in his opin-
ion Congress would authorize the
program. and that it would act
promptly.
Estimates Are Awaited.
After the program has been author
lied, he said, it would be up to the
Budget Bureau to send in a supple
mental estimate of appropriation for
the first year of the program. Then
Congress could pass an appropriation
bill, or include the items in the an
nuaf naval appropriation bill.
Senator Swanson of Virginia con
Cured in the opinion expressed by
Senator Hale, that the United States
Navy should be on parity with that
of Great Britain. which has the great
est navy In the world today
Il believe that the adoption OF such
q program by the United States"
said Senator Swanson. would en-.
courage rather than discourage an
agreement among the naval powers
for the further limitation Of naval
Gtr0nofh will h. n
stration to the other powers that the
United States intends to carry out the
understanding reached at the Wash
inSton conference and providing for
a 5--5--3 ratio.
The program now proposed Is to
continue over a number of years and
II 1t is possible to enter into an agree.
ment with the other powers in the
near future. it may not be necessary
to carry out the entire program
However. If no such agreement can
be reached, then the United States
Navy should be built up to equal
that of Great Britain"
The opinion was expressed TODAY
that II Congress. authorizes the pro
gram now advanced by the admins
tratlon. the United States will go into
| the conference with Great Britain.
France. Italy and Japan in 1891. for
the renewal of the Washington treaty
| limiting capital ships in far better
| shape than 1t entered the conference
! In Geneva last Summer. when Il was
! found impossible to reach an agree
ment on auxiliary craft The Wash
lnSton naval treaty must be renewed
! at Tint time
| The House committee on naval ar
fairs will take up the program bill
probably some time next week it was
said today. Secretary Wilbur and of
| ncers of the Navy will be heard. The
| Senate committee, Senator Hale said
probably would wait until after the
House committee has brought in its
bill.
Bill Is Introduced
The program put forward by the ad-
ministration is contained in the bill
which Representative Butler. chair
man of the House naval affairs com
m1ttee. introduced yesterday. The bill
which Is brief. follows
BE 1t enacted by the Senate and
the House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress
| assembled. That for the purpose of
further increasing the naval estab
lishment of the United States the
President of the United States is herr.
by authorized to undertake the con.
struction or the following vessels:
twenty-five light cruisers, destroyer
leaders, SO submarines and aircraft
carriers.
Sec. ,. The construction of the
light cruisers and the aircraft car.
| riers herein authorized shall he sub
1ect to the limitations prescribed by
the treaty limiting naval armament
ratified August IL, 1929.
! national conference for the limitation
of naval armament, the President IS
nefeDy empowered, in his discretion
| to suspend in whole or in part any
construction authorized by this act
Inc program now advanced Is the
nrst since 1915. IL the program OF
tnat year had been completed, ];
would have given the United States
the greatest navy the world has ever
seen. But at the Washington naval
limitation conference in 1922, the
program was scrapped
since the Washington conference,
me United States has done little in
the way OF naval construction. Great
brltain and JAPAN. on the other hand
nave gone ahead with their construc-
ton of cruisers and destroyers and
submarines. and the 5-5-3 ratio of
navai strength has vanished thereby.
me attention of the country was
focused on the naval situation during
the iast Congress. when Congress
mace appropriations for two 10, 00Oton
cruisers, which had been earlier au-
thorized, but for which estimates had
NOT been submitted by the President.
me Geneva conference did still more
10 awake the country to the needs Of
the Navy.
U. ). Behind Others.
The United States was shown to be
Tar behind Great Britain in c1 uiser
strength, and behind Japan, too. Both
Japan and Great Britain were forging
ahead with submarines and destroyer
leaders, also.
There is no limitation upon the pres
eht program. 1t can be construed i'm:
mediately, or strung out over a period