Evening star., 1939-03-07

all factions IN Congress hdDe sup
ported administration plans.
BY the Associated Press.
Rear Admiral Arthur B. Cook to-
day urged establishment of a sea-
plane base at Guam to serve as
Listening post" for the Navy.
Denying contentious that pro-
posed harbor improvements at the
tiny island in the Pacific were linked
to any plan for fortification, Admiral
Cook told the Senate Naval Commit
tee the Navy needed a plane base
there to give it advance information
of any movements of a possible
enemy.
He declared a $4,000 proposal
for Guam improvements would not
constitute IAN effort to move our de-
fense line to a possible untenable
and unjustified area too far to the
westward"
Juan T. Trippe, youthful presi-
dent and general manager of PAN
American Always, also urged the
committee to vote the Guam item.
He said improvement of seaplane
landing facilities on the tiny Pacific
island was essential to efficient COM
mercial air service to the Orient.
Four Cruisers Authorized.
simultaneously, President Roose-
welt authorized the Navy to build
four new 6,0OO-ton cruisers, to cost
about S120O0,0O0 each, in private
yards.
Under the Vinson- -Trammell Act,
two of the cruisers would have been
built in private and two in navy
yards, unless the President specif-
ically directed otherwise.
Assistant Secretary of the Navy
Charles Edison, who disclosed the
Presidents action, said it was taken
on his recommendation and that
three benefits would be gained by
having the ships built in private
yards.
1--WE can get them more cheaply,"
he said, more quickly and Of better
quality as regards uniformity"
Admiral William D. Leahy, chief
of naval operations, asked the COM
mittee yesterday to restore the Guam
item to the SOS 900 900 naval air base
bill. It was deleted by the House
after statements of opponents that
Japan might consider fortification
of the island a provocative step.
Senator Bone, Democrat, of Wash
ington disclosed, meanwhile, that
large group of Senators soon would
propose drastic tax legislation to
take the profits out of war.
Senator Bones announcement
came while the Senate approached
a final vote on the Army expan-
sion bill. 1t approved yesterday, 54
to %, a proposal to fix the maximum
number of Army planes at 5000, a
total of 500 more than the House
voted.
Must Have Stopover.
Mr.. Trippe said it would be impos-
sible for present planes to reach the
Orient without stopover at Guam.
He predicted it would be at least 10
years before ships were built which
could fly from Wake Island to
Manila with full loads, passing up
Guam.
And, he added, present lack of
breakWater makes the harbor at
Guam unsuitable for commercial
planes. Under certain wind condi-
tions, clippers have been held up
for as much as three days there, he
said.
Largely because of Guam's haz-
ards, clipper payloads have been
kept 1000 pounds under what other
wise could have been hauled, Mr.
Trippe testified. When new and
larger clipper ships are put into
service on the run, he said, there
may be an additional 500 pounds
reduction under the normal pay
load.
Mr.. Trippe said his company
hoped soon to reduce the flying
time from San Francisco to Hong
Kong from four days to two and
one-half days.
Senator Bone predicted the war
tax bill would have at least 40
sponsors-or almost half the Senate
when introduced later this week.
The legislation automatically
would impose a heavy schedule of
personal and corporate profits taxes
If the country went to war. The
levies would range up to 81 per cent
Of profits.
This bill would largely supplant