Evening star., 1936-02-12
CONGRESS SPEEDS
DEFENSE PROGRAM
Approval Of Halt Billion Dol.
lars for Army Is Hoped
for Today.
By the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
Moves for greater air, sea and land
defenses quickened today In Congress.
The House proceeded with debate
on the measure calling for expendi-
ture of more than a half billion dol
lars on the Army in the next fiscal
year. Its advocates hoped to gain
that chambers approval by tonight.
Demands for additional war imple-
ments came simultaneously with
declaration yesterday by Chairman
McSwain of the House Military AT
fairs Committee that Army air
strength should be up to 1000 planes
by 1898.
Three admirals told the Senate
Naval Affairs Committee yesterday
they want IA Of the Nays Is battle
ships modernized and two aircraft
carriers improved. They asked pro-
vision for the building of 22l 900 tons
OF auxiliary craft to transport ammuni-
ton and supplies.
Representative Wilcox, Democrat, Of
Florida, a member of the House Mill
tary Committee. told the House, after
conference with War Department
officials. that he would urge an ap-
preparation to start building up the
frontier air defenses already author
iZed.
Battle Lines Formed.
Meanwhile, lines were being formed
yesterday for a congressional battle
over refusal OF the House Appropria-
tions Committee to include money in
the War Department bill to carry on
five works projects started with emer-
gency funds.
The Wilcox authorization act pro-
vides for six air defense bases 10 be
located at strategic points designated
by the Secretary of War. A special
War Department board has completed
an investigation of possible sites and
has made recommendation to Secre-
tary Dern in tentative report which
is now being revised for submission
to Congress.
McSwain told the House he would
seek to amend the War Department
bill to provide for 800 planes a year
for five years in place of the author
ization for SOS planes carried In the
pending War Department supply
measure.
McSwainS call for 1000 planes set
new high, as the Army board headed
by Newton D. Baker had recon-
mended a maximum of only $500.
On December 2, 1885, the War De-
partment reported the Air Corps had
only 1850 planes on hand.
The officers to appear before the
Senate Committee were Rear Ad-
mirals John K. Taussig, acting chief
of naval operations; Emory S. Land,
chief of the Bureau of Construction
and Repairs; and E. ]. King, chief of
the Bureau of Aeronautics.
Taussig asserted the modernization
program was for entirely defensive"
purposes, but added modernization of
the battleships Oklahoma, New York
and the Texas would not be carried
out if new treaty permitted their
He said the existing auxiliary vessel
situation was both Inadequate In
numbers and efficiency" and the
I might say, is getting dis
tressing"
The modernization plans were de-
scribed by Land as essential for sta
bility defense and gas defense"
Col. Samuel p Wetherill, president
of the Air Defense League, said in
statement that publication of the
War Department appropriation bill
reveals the shocking inadequacy of
most potent weapon"
Roosevelt Hopeful.
Questioned concerning the ehmina-
tion Of the funds for the works prof.
ects, President Roosevelt indicated at
his press conference yesterday that he
was hopeful the entire matter could
be threshed out later and a satisfac-
tory settlement reached.
Any attempt to reinstate in the bill
the S29000,00o involved seemed GER
tain to open up again the whole issue
of the prerogative Of Congress to au-
thorize expenditures for specific prof.
ects as against the appropriation Of
lump sums to be administered by
works relief or other officials.
Projects to which the committee
turned a deaf ear included the Pas
samaquoddy tidal power project in
Maine, the Atlantic Gulf ship cana!
in Florida, the Sardis reservoir II
Mississippi. the Conchas dam in New
Mexico and the Bluestone reservoir in
West Virginia.