Evening star., 1932-02-07
PHILIPPINE ATTACK
BY JAPAN FEARED
Warning of EnCroachment
Stirs Heated Debate in
House Committee.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated press.
The Far East problem crept into
the hearing of the House Insular Com
mittee yesterday, when John H. Pardee,
president of the Manila Electric Co.
warned the committee against threaten
ed japanese encroachment in the
Philippines.
Pardee's intimation that freeing the
Philippines within the next decade
would invite invasion provoked heated
debate, which Representative Cross
Democra.. Texas, and Representative
Lozier, De ocrat, Missouri, participated
Lozier C1ntended Japan is busy with
its prC..ens in Asia and its destiny lies
in Manchuria. Consequently, he said
the Philippines have little to fear.
Wars and rumors of wars were ad
vanCed by the Nays highest officer, Rear
Admiral william V. Pratt, as reasons
why Congress should not tamper with
national defense machinery at this
time. He testified before the House
Expenditures Committee, which is con-
sidering proposal for the consolidation
of the War and Navy Departments.
Calls Japanese Efficient
Admiral Pratt said this is no time
for experiments. He explained the
Japanese military system and said it is
probably the most efficient in the
world
A proposed reorganization of the
ASiatic fleet involving the withdrawal
of six deStrOyerS six submarines and
an aircraft carrier, will not be carried
ont by the Navy until the Far Eastern
crisis has passed.
These vessels were to be replaced
by three ships-the ancient cruiser
Rochester and the gunboats Asheville
and Sacramento
We need the ships there now for
protection and possible evacuation of
American citizens" Admiral Pratt said.
ultimately" he added, the plan
for reorganization will be carried out,
although the present dates for with
draWal of units may be delayed"
The Rochester-the oldest ship in
commission in the Navy save the
u s. S. Constitution-nOw is flagship
of the Panama Special Service Squadron
Of three vessels. 1t will be relieved
about February l3 by the cruiser
Memphis and will then proceed to
Manila to join the Asiatic Fleet.
Commanded BY Sampson.
Admiral Sampson commanded the
Rochester as his flagship in the Battle
of Santiago Bay in the Spanish Amer
lcan War, few years after it was
launched in 1891.
The Sacramento and Asheville already
H1- IL -
Wickes and Philip at the Panama sta
ton and are now en- route to report
to Admiral Taylor in April
Admiral Pratt expressed satisfaction
over the reorganization at Panama.
The cruiser and two destroyers," he
said, can move much faster than the
three ships We have had there. Send
ing the Rochester to the Asiatic gives
us one more ship for evacuation pur-
poses. She was to be decommissioned,
but she will be pretty useful out there,
even though she Is pretty old"
The deStrOyerS. scheduled to be re-
turned from the Asiatic and put in
reserve commission at Mare Island are
the Tracy, TruXtun, MacLeish, Simpson,
Mccormick and Stewart. The Truxtun
now is at Shanghai, the Simpson at
Marking, the Stewart at Hongkong.
while the others are at Manila. This
had been ordered for March Is.
The aircraft carrier Langley was to
replace the aircraft tender Jason at
Manila in April, the Jason to be placed
out Of commission.
Planned in November.
The plan also called for the with
draWal Of six submarines from Manila
for basing at Pearl Harbor, Hawaiian
Islands. This was scheduled for May /
These plans were announced last No
vember II as part of the rotation"
system inaugurated as a part of naval
economy.
Despite japanese denials, the Chinese
yesterday reiterated their claim to
share of the spoils of the fighting at
WooSung.
The Chinese legation announced re-
ceipt of a message from Shanghai, re-
layed through Marking, saying it was
confirmed" that a Japanese gunboat
had been sunk and two others damaged
during the attack on the Woosung forts
Wednesday.
Communications between Woosung
and Shanghai had been cut, it was said.
The message added that military COM
manders at Shanghai had reported they
were still holding" their line in the
Chapel sector, with heavy casualties.