Evening star., 1940-04-16
Increased Fund
For Navy Urged
In Emergency
Stark Declares
$4,000, 900
Is Needed
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
Declaring the United States
faced an emergency situation,
Admiral Harold r. Stark rec
commended today that Congress
appropriate s45,000,0O0 more for
the Navy than the 1865, 900 900
voted by the House.
The chief Of naval operations pro.
posed the increase at Senate Naval
Committee hearing on other legisla-
ton which would authorize, but not
provide funds for, a $655 ,000, 900 I'll
per cent? expansion of the Navy's
shipbuilding program.
Questioned on Emergency.
Asked by Senator johnson. Re-
publican, of California whether he
thought an emergency now existed,
Admiral Stark replied:
I'm my opinion, an emergency
exists when our relative position is
continually becoming weaker, as it
Is now
OF the additional s45 900 900 which
Admiral Stark recommended for ap-
preparation $4,000, 900 would be for
ship facilities on shore and $27, 400
600 for shipbuilding.
This would provide, he indicated,
for laying the keels of cruisers,
l3 destroyers and submarines in
the fiscal year beginning next July !.
German Building Cited.
In support of its contention that
the battleship remains the backbone
of the fleet, the Navy advised the
committee in writing to supplement
Admiral Starks testimony that
Germany recently has completed
two new battleships and is building
four more, despite its preponderance
OF air power. Also, it was stated
that Germany's air power has not
seriously affected British control of
world sea lanes.
Responding to questions put by
Chairman Walsh of the Naval Al
fairs Committee, the Navy touched
these additional high points:
l. Army tests have disclosed that
the explosive used in liquid oxygen
bombs is no more powerful than the
INT used by United States forces
IN bombs. mines and torpedoes.
2. United States naval aircraft are
felt to be superior to foreign naval
aircraft based on and operated from
ships.
8. This country is considerably
in advance" Of foreign powers in
developments of aerial bomb sights
and bombing accuracy.
4. The Navy is three years ahead
of its aircraft procurement program,
as laid down in the expansion bill
of 1888.
Asked whether more efficient
aerial bombing had tended to make
surface ships obsolete, the Navy said
Germany's air superiority had not
upset British sea control, and it
cited a table of battleship building
as proof that all major powers were
constructing superdreadnaughts.
Japan Building 8 Ships.
In addition to Germany, this table
showed Italy as having recently
completed two battleships, and
building two more. Japan was listed
as building eight battleships, Great
Britain nine, France four with two
recently completed, and the United
States eight.
"Manifestly," the Navy said, all
naval powers have given serious con-
slderatlon to the effectiveness and
relative security liability to remain
effectively of naval ships against all
threats contemplated under the con-
ditions of their employment in war.
1t IS significant that all are con-
tinuing their naval building pro.
grams.
"The heavily gunned and heavily
armored battleship, built to with
stand the plunging fire of the heav-
lest armor-piercing projectiles, is
least affected by air developments.
Even admitting the practicability Of
accurate bombing in the face of de-
termined resistance of air forces and
anti-aircraft weapons, the heavy
bomb, with its restricted ability to
penetrate armor plate, is certainly
less potent than the heavy she'll"
Yesterday the committee had
made public Navy replies to a pre-
vious group of questions asked by
Senator Walsh, which brought out
that naval policy-makers are inter-
ested in adding Southeastern
Caribbean base to the far-flung
guard posts of the Panama Canal.
"A fleet airbase In the southeast
corner Of the Caribbean" the Navy
Department said. would undoubt-
edly add to the security Of the
area as well as to the ability of the
United States fleet to insure the in
tegrity Of the Monroe Doctrine.
"A base for the United States
fleet located in this vicinity would
afford a strategically centralized
position which should permit our
fleet to operate any direction"
Existing naval installations In
Florida, Cuba, Puerto Rico control
most of the Atlantic approaches to
the canal, but the United States
has no bases to guard the flank
adjacent to the topmost part Of
South America.
Debt Payments Again Revived.
The islands In those waters are
British and French possessions.
Their acquisition in lieu Of war debt
payments has been suggested FIRE.
quently in Congress, but not until
last night did the Navy oficially
mention these proposals in discuss
ing the desirability of q base to the