Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-04
SHIP BILL CHANGES
BEFORE SENATORS
Harrison Amendment Would
Strike Out Time Limita-
ton Clause.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
A batch of amendments to the cruiser
construction bin was placed before the
Senate today as the time for vote
drew near.
Last-minute debate again revolved
about the main controversy whether the
Is cruisers and airplane carrier shall
be laid down before July /, 1881, as
voted by the House or shall be con-
structed as. the President sees At. Mr..
Coolidge is demanding the latter ops
ton. -
Senator Harrison, Democrat, Missis-
sippi. proposed an amendment strik1A.
out the time limitation clause and pro-
viding instead that the President shall
be authorized to undertake prior to
January /. 1882" the construction of the
Is cruisers and airplane carrier.
Would Permit Program Delay.
The Harrison amendment would per-
NIT the President to withhold the en-
tire program until after the 1881 naval
arms conference which was provided fol
under the agreement reached at the
1921 Washington parley.
While foes of the bill were preparing
other amendments, including some tx
cut down the cruiser authorization from
Is to 10, or even to give cruisers, Sena-
tor Tyson, Democrat, Tennessee, took
up the debate and demanded passage
of the bill in its present form.
1.-THE United States has isolated itself
from the rest of the world" said Sena-
tor Tyson TT stands largely alone.
Therefore 1t must defend itself alone
and for that reason feel that 1t should
have Navy second to none in the
world for the protection OF its own
great interests and for those doctrines
which it has undertaken to defend"
The Senate approached vote today
on the bill.
Passage of the measure, either late
today or tomorrow, was predicted by
friend and foe.
Debate Is Curtailed.
Debate today was curtailed under the
agreement entered into last week at
the request of Senator Curtis of Kansas
Republican leader, and after pm. nc
Senator could speak more than 10
minutes on the measure.
Voting on the stack of amendments
1 Is expected to get under way soon after
4 o'clock.
Chairman Hale of the naval COM
| mittee, supported by Senator Swanson
of Virginia, ranking Democrat of the
committee, is confident of passage OF
the bill in virtually the same form ap-
proved a year ago by the House. These
two Senators maintain that the request
of President Coolidge would give the
Navy only paper ships
Supporters of the Coolidge proposal
/; led by Senators Borah of Idaho anc
Burton of Ohio, contend that the Presi-
dent should be given free hand or
the construction program, so that il
another arms conference is called the
| shipbuilding could be deferred.
Senator Norris, Republican, Nebraska
has an amendment to halt the construc-
ton in the event negotiations are. en-
tered into between Great Britain anC
this country for a limitations con.
! ference.
However, Mr. Coolidge has let 1t be
known that he would ask for an inne.
diate start on some of the cruisers Il
he is given control over the naval pro.
| gram and that he wants this contro
because of budget considerations.
Say Ships Are Vital.
/ Senators Hale, Fess and Watson con.
1 tend that the Is cruisers are vital fol
i requirements. and even if another arms
conference were held these ships woulc
be necessary and would. not be touched
by any limitation. Therefore, they want
it mandatory that building be COM
menced within two years.
| The entire program involves $274,0O0,.
600, to be spread over two and hall
| years. If the authorization is finally
| approved 1t Is expected an attempt will
be made at this session to appropriate
some money for start.
| There are rumors that foes Of the
bill will seek to block the appropriations
even If the authorization is voted, but
leaders do not take this seriously, point
| ing out that If there are votes enough
| for passage Of the authorization there
will be votes enough to appropriate
funds to carry it out.