Evening star., 1941-01-22
Naval
Continued From First Page.)

ain S shlpbulldlng facilities had been
comparatively meager and COM
paratively mild. as far as is known. 4"
He said. however. damage to re-
pair plants, particularly around
Dover and Portland and other
Channel ports, had been heavier.
He said the most serious handi-
cap to British shipping was the
necessity for operating under the
convoy system. with the resultant
loss in speed and efficiency.
Asked whether there would be q
need for the ships if the war ended
soon, Admiral Land said:
I'VE would not be building these
ships if We thought the war would
be stopped today"
U. S. Trade to South Booms.
Admiral Land told the committee
the departure of foreign ship flags
from South America had enabled
the United States to increase COM
merce on that continent from so
to 100 per cent. as we'll as in other
parts of the world outside the black
OuI areas.
That is continuously on the in
crease" he said, mot only because
of the abnormal conditions. but also
because of the conditions due to the
defense program"
Outlining the needs for rubber,
manganese. chrome, mica, cork, qui-
nine and other materials, Admiral
Land said these needs were causing
increasing demands upon the
American merchant marine carrying
capacity. 1t is increasing tremen-
dously and that demand can only be
met by some activity of this kind"
Mobile Can Start Quickly.
Admiral Land estimated it would
take frcm three to five months to
provide the facilities for construc-
tion-more quickly at Mobile, Ala,
for instance, where there are exist
ing facilities, and five or six months
at New Orleans where there is moth
ing to start with. He said the first
ship from each place would be pro-
duced in about II months.
Meanwhile. administration force.
sought speedy House authorization
tor construction of 400 more small
auxiliary vessels for the Navy.
The new surface craft would in
clude So ocean-going escort vessels
80 smaller submarine chasers. "a
motor torpedo boats of the mos
quito feet" variety and 100 mine
sweepers.
Naval authorities said the tota.
cost of the vessels would be about
s400 000000 but asserted the Navy
would ask immediate funds for only
280 Of them. Most of these would
be built in Great Lakes shipyards
and completed within a year, off.
cials said
Plant Expansion in Program.
In addition to the new vessels. the
bill would authorize expenditure Of
$500 100000 for additional ship
building facilities and for increase:
in the Nations capacity to produce
| Aio'o "a SoAAo oiid dlilOi pldlc
Passage of the measure Woulc
bring to s1,2O9, 100000 the total ot
naval authorizations approved by
the House in two days. A $500 ,000,-
600 improvement of the fleets anti
aircraft defenses went through yes
terday unanimously.
Measure Passed, 130 to 0.
The anti-aircraft measure, passed
by standing vote of 100 to and
sent to the Senate, was the first to
come to vote in the present Con-
gress. 1t provides that war craft be
withdrawn unit by unit over a long
period to make the alterations.
Navy officers testified during COM
mittee hearings that the number of
anti-aircraft guns would be doubled
on cruisers and increased by one
third on capital ships.
Alterations will include installa-
ton of blisters and greater protec-
tion for the men at the gun turrets
All of these features are being in
cluded In the new ships.