Evening star., 1932-04-07
NAVY LEAGUE HITS
AT HOOVER AGAIN
Denounced as Making Arma'
ments "Scapegoat" in
Taxation Increase.

BY the Associated Press.
"A new, sweeping denunciation OF
President Hoover's naval policy was
issued today by the Navy League Of the
United States.
The President was charged with
neglect of the Navy and with wrongly
parading armaments as the ''scape-
1eoat" FOR the great increase in taxation
during recent years. This charge was
accompanied by an argument to snow
4hat other expenditures have played
the major part in building up the tax
payers burden.
=. Declared to Have Done Nothing"
- The league said Mr.. Hoover mad
done VIRTUALLY nothing" to replace YES
ssels which have passed or are reacnlng
8the limit of effective age. and tnat
"while Europe smolders and Asia Is
eblaze the President insists that we
cannot now afford even to start moo
crate measures for building up our
feet to treaty terms"
Todav's attack was the most consplc-
nous one by the league since last octo-
Der when its president. William How
ard Gardiner, sowed the seeds OF
notable controversy with the Whlte
House by a statement charging MI.
Hooyer among others things, with ex-
hibiting "abysmal ignorance" on naval
matters. That incident ended with
the verdict of a special board, chosen
nv the President to 1nVesugate Ihe
charges which upheld the Chief Ex-
ec,Itive and said the league statement
contained many inaccuracies, false as
sertions and erroneous conclusions.
\ THE league disputed the finding, now,
ever Todav's statement also was issued
/ ever GARDENERS signature in the form
of a printed 17-page pampnlet en-
+ titled: THE Treasury Denclt ana a
Treaty Navy"
Costs Are Compared.
7 Comparipg costs of operating various
I r.overnment activities from 1913 10
Z 1882, the league said:
!, "The conclusion seems inescapaple
that in searching for the causes OF the
4 evident increase in the crushing Dur
dem of taxation we must look else
! wnere than to the ornaments scape-
!. goat that Mr.. Hoover ana Iiie acnls'S
! parade"
over the past 20 years, it said, Fed
eral military expenditures have IN
! creased "far less than threetolo Wnlle
Expenditures for non-military purposes
! have been allowed to increase eight
{ fold. and it also appears that, under
/ Mr. Hooyers management, non-mlntary
expenditures have gone up 80 per cent
Z while he has reduced expenditures ior
military purposs by 2 per cent:
The league blamed upon the Presi-
/ dents insistence the shelving by the
! House Naval Committee this session OF
/ the Vinson bill for building the meet
/. uu to treaty limits over 1o-year period
Il II argued this was done "allegeoly pc
cause of the financial situation OF the
I treasury" contended the bill involved
! only $4,000, ,0oo expenditure In the rs
h cal wear 1888 and contrasted this Item
( with expenditures Of hundreds OF mil
t lions for various emergency purposes
|, which, it said, were approved by the
I. President"
! Navy Declared Restricted.
t Summing up its view OF the present
= r,olicy on naval affairs, the league salo /:
4 In money expenditures, in ships ana
In men the Navy has been restricted
6 and reduced so that. in effect, IL Is
! being starved into inadequacy."