Evening star., 1937-03-18
SENATORS REVISE
HOUSE NAVY BILL;
IGNORE HOSPITAL
Cut of 100000 in Sum
for Model Testing Plant
Is Restored.
TOTAL OF S512,847,8O8
REPORTED IN MEASURE
Budget Bureau Request for ST.
100000 to Start New Insti-
tuition Left Out.
BY ]. A. O'LEARY,

The Senate Appropriate Com
mittee today restored a House cut
of $1,000,000 in the limit of cost on
the Navys proposed new model test
Ing plant in Washington, but left out
of the naval appropriation bill
Budget Bureau request for l,5OO, 900
to start a new Naval Hospital here.
For the entire upkeep and develop
ment of the Navy, the Senate group
reported out total bill of S512,847,-
80S, which is a net reduction of So
707620 below the House figure. With
Senator ByrneS, Democrat, of South
Carolina in charge, the measure prob
ably will be taken up in the Senate
tomorrow.
The budget estimate for Naval Hos
pltal, just transmitted by President
Roosevelt two days ago, was to have
been used to buy new site and start
hospital construction program esti-
mated to cost S3,200,O0O or more when
completed.
In 1881 Congress passed a bill au-
thorlzlng the remodeling and extern
sion of buildings at the present hos
pltal site at the foot of Twenty-fourth
street. The letter transmitting the
new budget estimate, however, reveals
1t has been decided to acquire a new
site elsewhere in or near the District.
May Necessitate Increase.
This change in plans, the Budget
Bureau said, may necessitate an in
crease later in the original limit of
cost of S3,200,000 fixed for the en-
largement of the present hospital.
The Senate Committees action on
The model testing plant has the effect
OF relnstating the original budget rec
ommendation for a total outlay of
s3,50000o. Of this amount, however,
only Sl,500,000 is expected to be spent
during the coming year.
The Senate action is in conformity
with the intention of the enabling act
passed last year, which authorized
purchase of site in the vicinity of
Washington and erection of modern
experimental plant to replace the OBJ
solete ship model basin at the Wash
ington Navy Yard.
The House Appropriations Commit
tee decided the new model plant and
testing basin could be established on
property already partly occupied by
the naval research laboratory at Belle
vue, D. C. The House, to carry out
that decision, prohibited use of any
of the money to acquire land and
reduced the limit of cost.
Restoration Recommended.
The Navy Department, however. told
the Senate committee the building of
the new plant at Bellevue would en-
tail substantially more cost for the
foundations than the cost of a suit
able site would come to- The depart
ment recommended restoration of the
original budget program and the COM
mitee agreed.
Viewing the bill as a whole, the
Senate committee arrived at the net
reduction of S3,707, $50 by cutting out
S5,000,000 for the purchase of strate-
gic minerals, and adding 1892 $3.50
to other items scattered throughout
the bill
The Senate committee did not
change House item of S265,000 for
Improvement of the power plant at
the Washington Navy Yard. Under
replacement of naval vessels, no
change was made in the House pro-
vision of s90,O0O,0OO to start con-
struction of eight destroyers and four
submarines The armor and arna-
ment allowances also was left at the
House figure of $40,000000.