Evening star., 1940-08-01
Navy Contract Awards
Await Senate Action
On Appropriations
Speed in Starting
Two-Oceun Fleet
To Breuk Record
BY ROBERT BRUsKIN.

10 DISOk NeSOIo
BY ROBERT BRUSKIN.
The Navy has already negotiated
contracts to start the first units Of
q two-ocean fleet and is prepared to
release them Immediately after the
Senate approves the new 1885,
Isl ,957 Army and Navy bill.
Naval sources declared the speed
with which the ships would be
started would exceed the precedent
shattering awards for % ships dis
tributed between June II and July 4.
Many Of the vessels will be OF
heavier types than hitherto con-
structed, the Navy source said,
chiefly to permit heavier armor
protection on decks from air bonn
bardment. These heavier ships will
be destroyers and cruisers. It is
unlikely the Navy will build battle
ships heavier than the $4,000 ton
vessels already under construction,
it was said, until one has been tested
after commissioning.
701 Combat Vessels.
Hitherto, congressional sources
indicated there will be approx
mately 701 combat vessels in the
Navy when the 10 per cent increase
is completed in 1946 or 1947. Naval
sources, however. said the total fleet
probably would be smaller, but new
units would be heavier. Authorize
ton for a $4,400, ,000, 900 increase in
the Navy, as approved by President
Roosevelt, provides only for the max
imum tonnage to be permitted in
each class of warship and also a
80 per cent variation from class to
class provided the total program Of
1925 900 tons is not exceeded.
OF the total passed by the House
late yesterday with only one dis
senting vote, the Navy received
81, ,051 ,156,540 and the Army, $3,911,-
995,417. These figures included con-
tract authorizations for $2,728, $780,
600 and direct appropriations Of
1924, ,191 ,957.
a serious lapse had been expected
before completion Of the feet, but
a transcript of the executive hear
ings by a House Appropriations
Subcommittee revealed today that
Admiral Harold r. Stark, chief of
naval operations, testified:
my original estimate was that
the total program would be COM
pleted in six or seven years. But
the more we study 1t the more hope
full We are that we may anticipate
that time"
Success in Negotiations.
A prime factor leading to conf
dence by the Navy that work could
be speeded was success in negotia-
tions with small shipyards, some
on the West Coast, for construction
of numerous destroyers and small
vessels. Hitherto, they had been
building only small merchant YES
sells. Negotiations are under way
for reopening the Cramp Shipyards
in Philadelphia where many Of the
largest units Of the present fleet
were built. The yards, located on
the Delaware River, have been
closed since shortly after the World
War.
The Maritime Commission, cur
rently engaged in program for 500
swift merchant ships easily trans
formable into naval auxiliaries, Is
cooperating by awarding contracts
to yards which could not build naval
vessels, so that a maximum Of ship
ways will be available to the Navy.
Principal Items Of Bill.
The principal items in the bill in
cluded:
s23o,ooo, 900 for new ship construc-
ton.
$75,000,0 900 for alteration and con-
version of naval vessels.
$2,068, ,402 ,3O4 for aircraft for both
Army and Navy.
$2,057,7 ,705,O OFT for materiel Of many
kinds for Army, Navy and Marine
Corps.
$158,352, 300 for public works prof.
ects for. the Army and Navy, includ-
ing housing and storage facilities.
Also included was $75 900 900 fol
the construction or purchase of n
auxiliary vessels such as seaplane
destroyer and submarine tenders
cargo ships, ammunition ships
transports, hospital ships, oilers and
refrigerator ships. OF the total, q
probably will be purchased from the
Maritime Commission and 50 will be
built by contract. The Navy's regu-
lar appropriation bill carried $16,-
000, 900 to start the work.
Huge Orders Allocated.
Matching the Navy in procure
ment speed, the War Department
has already allocated huge orders
which will provide complete equip.
ment for 100000 men and critica,
items, not easily obtainable, fol
SOC, 900 more men.
Heartening to both the Army an6
Navy air chiefs was the announce.
ment yesterday by Donald w. Doug.
las, president Of the Douglas Air.
craft Co., that the airplane industry
would start expansion for the de.
tense program without waiting
further for Congress to ease amorti.
zation restrictions. His announce.
ment was made after a meeting with
the National Defense Commission
which had been urging the manu-.
facturers to accept more than $55,.
600 900 in contracts Immediately anc
not wait for revision Of the tax bill
which would permit writing off ex.
pansion costs In five years. Pre-.
viously q War Department off1cia
made known that the services wer.
considering scaling down the pro.
curement program to comply witt
existing facilities Of about 10000 mil.
itary planes annually. The presen'
procurement plan is for 1884 new
planes.
SaAyny e.