Evening star., 1935-07-21

fixtures, fittings and valves, electrical
equipment, lead, brass. zinc, insula-
ton, paint, tiling. bedding, linen, hard
ware, tools, fire protection apparatus.
communications systems, life saving
equipment, blocks and rigging and
navigating instruments, to mention
but some of the leading ones, boost
business. A thousand and one things
are needed and the Navy buys liber-
ally.
In II years prior to 1888. only total
of IA small ships was laid down to re-
place overage units and these were
eight destroyers and half dozen sub
marines. WORK was started on one
aircraft carrier and 16 heavy cruisers.
Save for its quota of battleships, which
may not be constructed under the
Washington and London naval
treaties, which are in force until De-
cember 81, 1886, Uncle Sam is def
cient in all other types of warcraft.
BY 1886, says Assistant Secretary
Roosevelt, "a new ships will have
joined the fleet and few more before
the Spring of 1897.
Secretary Claude A. Swanson, well
versed in the ways of politics and ever
warm friend of the Navy. in Con-
gress and out of it, has had much to
do with the New Deal boosting the
service. Enactment of the Vinson-
Trammel bill, directing that a treaty
Navy be constructed, is another ma
tional defense feather in the New
Deals hat. This permits Uncle Sam,
when funds are available, to build a
navy that will be credit to the Ma
ton and the present policy is to at
tain full strength, permitted under
existing treaty, by 1912.
The 66 warshipS now under con-
struction are: The two aircraft car
riers, Yorktown and Enterprise; the
three heavy cruisers, Quincy. Vim
cennes and Wichita; the seven light
cruisers, Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Sa
vannah, Nashville, Phoenix, Boise and
Honolulu; the 10 submarines, PorpoiSe,
Pike, Shark, Tarpon, Perch, Pickerel,
Pima, Plunger, Pollack and Pompano;
the Al destroyers, MacDonough, Dale,
Monaghan, Porter, Selfridge, Nc
Dougal, Winslow, Phelps, Clark, Moi
fett, Balch, Mahan, Cummings, Dray-
ton, Lamson, Flusser, Reid, Case,
Conyngham, Cassin, Shaw, Tucker,
Downes, Gushing, Perkins, Smith,
Preston, Gridley, Somers, Craven,
Warrington, Dunlap, Tanning, Bagley,
Blue. Helm. Mugford. Ralph Talbot,
Henley, Patterson and Jarvis. The
Hull has just been completed. In ad-
dition, the two gunboats, Erie and
Charleston are under construction.
Coast Guard vessels under con-
struction at. navy yards are the cruis-
ing cutters George w. Campbell. SAM
uel D. Ingham, William J. Duane
Roger B. Taney. Alexander Hamilton
John c. Spencer and George M. Bibb
In time of war. the Coast Guard be-
comes part of the Navy.
On the rolls of the Navy at this
time are thousands of civilian work
men, and as new construction pro-
ceedS, this figure will advance. In
private shipyards, where many of the
new ships are being built, it is es.
timated that more than $4,000 work
ers will owe their bread and butter
to naval contracts At present, al
told, there are 58,499 civilians en-
ployed by the Navy, 1854 of them al
the Navy Department.
EARLY next month the Navy will
open bids for the construction oi
! one light cruiser, one aircraft carrier
eight torpedo boat destroyers and
three submarines. Under the 1886
building program will be II vessels
additional-one light cruiser, seven
torpedo boat destroyers and three
submarines. Navy yards will submit
bids for these.
Naval aviation has been stimulated
by passage of the Vinson- Trammell
bill, for the limit of the 1,000-plane
program set up by Congress in
June, 1926, no longer applies. As
matters now stand, aircraft are au-
thorized in such number as necessary
to equip ships of the fleet. This move
has benefited the new aircraft car
rier U. S. S. Ranger and several new
cruisers, as well as the battleshjps,
whose aerial activities we're cramped
through the necessity of aiding in
supplying newly authorized units.
Naval Reserve landing fields have
been aided.
In addition to the S7,500,000 given
naval aviation out OF public works
funds, $2,708,800 was allotted for ex-
pansion of the naval aircraft factory
at Philadelphia and this year s12,-
832,512 was allocated for the purchase
of new aircraft These funds have
aided in inaugurating the needed
building program. Projects made pos
sible by emergency relief work have
enabled naval aviation to benefit well
in the way of repairs, maintenance
of buildings, roads, etc. Under nor
NAL appropriations, this work would
not have been realized for many
years.
THE Marine Corps, the strong right
arm of the Navy, has felt the
stimulus of the New Deal, but in lesser
degree than the Army or Navy. Av-
iation and Reserves Jared we'll, but
the regular establishment secured no
increase in personnel, although it
wanted 1,100. The force is now down
to 10000 enlisted men, for while the
law allows 27,400 Marines, they have
money enough only tor the lesser
number. The Marines tried without
success to get new barracks at Paris
Island, S. c., and San Diego, Calf,
and houses at Quantico. Va, but they
are not complaining, for they are
hopeful of getting some of the new
works money or deficiency author
ization from Congress. The Marines
could profitably use some $7,700, 900
for constructing apartment houses for
officers and on-commissioned men
at Quantico; as well as officers school
building and post exchange and audi
torium; for barracks and gymnasium
at San Diego and barracks, roads and
distributing system at Paris Island.
The new selection system is making
Tor more ranid rrnrn 0fion of of7icere