Evening star., 1942-02-02
Senate Sends ]
Giant Navy Bill
Conference
Unanimous Vote
Approves 26Iz Billions
For Planes and Ships

~ 4
For Planes and Ships
Earlier Story on Page A-2.)
BY J. A. O'LEARY.
The Senate this afternoon
passed unanimously without a
roll call the biggest appropria-
tion bill in history, giving the
Navy s26, ,495, ,265, ,474 to speed the
building of planes and ships for
its war on the Axis.
+ Action came after two hours Of
debate, during which only one minor
change was made in the details as
reported from committee by Sem
ator Overton, Democrat, of Louisi-
ana, chairman of the Senate Appro-
priations Subcommittee.
Senate approval of the big Navy
bill came less than a week after
Congress sent to President Roose-
welt a s12,5OO,0 O,0000 900 supplemental
Army bill, most of which was for
$4,000 planes.
The vast Navy supply bill now
goes to conference with the House
on the $500, 900 added by the SEN
ate, largely for planes.
AS it now stands the bill provides
for 25,063 planes. of which l ,70o were
in the House bill and 23,354 were
added by the Senate. Counting
ordnance to arm the planes, the
total for aviation n the bill is
So, ,000, 900 900.
Eight Billion for Ships.
For continuing work on surface
war vessels the bill also contains
approximately $4,000, 900 900.
The bill covers the 17-month pc.
riod ending IN June, 1943, and con-
tains some contract authorizations
beyond that date.
The Senate appointed the fol-
lowing conferees to meet with a
like group from the House on
changes: Senators Overton, Glass of
Virginia. Thomas of Oklahoma,
Green Of Rhode Island, Walsh of
Massachusetts,, Lodge of Massachu-
setts and Holman of Oregon.
Pointing out that this one bill
for the Navy exceeds the total public
debt at the close of the first World
War. Secretary LaFollette. Progress
sive, of Wisconsin, said this COM
parlSon gives some idea of the cost
of this war.
In opening the debate, however,
Senator Overton said that in con-
sidering the size of the bill Senators
should bear in mind that the nation
is engaged ''in total war-in fight
to the finiSh-against resourceful
and cunning opponents" and that
halfway measures will not suffice.
Senator Overton added that the
fleet action against japanese bases
on the Marshall and Gilbert Islands
was only the opening gun of the
American Navy in the great battle
In which we are now engaged"
Lifts Limit on Admirals.
Over Senator Overton's opposition,
Senator Tydings, Democrat. of
Maryland won approval of an
amendment removing the limit Of
nine on the number of flight ad-
mirals who could receive extra COM
pensation for flying. Senator Tyd-
ings argued that Congress has placed
no limit on the number of fight
generals in the Army with extra pay
and that the Navy should not be
required to divide it's flight admirals
into two classes, with some drawing
more than others.
Senator Overton objected to the
whole system of extra pay for flying
officers, said he would give serious
consideration in a later bill to abol-
ishing the practice. and contended
the Tydings motion merely multi
plies an existing error. The Tydings
motion carried on a close standing
vote.
In addition to the large amounts
for planes and ships, the bill gives
the President another lease-lend au-
thorization to aid the Allied Nations.
He may lease new ships to be built
out of this bill, but none of the
Navys present warships. He also
may make available to the Allies
other war materials up to a value
of $4,000, 1000, 900.
Senator Overton said that while
we make these tremendous outlays,
Congress should see to it that the
stewardship they entail is discharged
by chiefs of the Army, Navy and
war production agencies efficiently.
rapidly and without wasted effort,
in this business of winning the war.
Warns Capital and Labor.
1--WE cannot condone delays, mis-
takes or bungling of the war effort
or military operations. We should
not submit to the aggrandizement
Of these colossal costs by the prof.
| teering of greedy capital or to the
sitting of our mammoth undertake
ing through the paralysis of strik-
ing labor.
while the taxpayers of our coun-
try are so generously giving to the
prosecution of the war, we cannot
stand idly by and see the seamen
| VI OuI CiilDdItiCO llCCIo vi IlIC cOA-
diers of Douglas Macarthur sacri-
feed to the avarice of either labor
or capital"
As the floor debate began, the
Appropriations Committee made
public the hearings on the big bill.
in which Secretary Knox testified
that, while the Navy is trying to
run workshops "a hours q day, 1t Is
having difficulty finding enough
trained men for the two night shifts.