Little Big-Navy

ARMY & NAVY

The total cost of the Administration's proposed "Big Navy" program having been fixed at some $1,500,000,000, to be spread over the next five to nine years and to include 74 ships plus men, aircraft and maintenance (TIME, Feb. 20), the Naval Affairs Committee of the House last week held caucus for Irate Citizens. Most of the talk focused on the ship program which, taken separately, totaled some $800,000,000.

Speechmaking in Indianapolis, Secretary Wilbur of the Navy tried valiantly to minimize the figures (he quoted only $740,000,000) and to magnify their necessity to the country. He rehearsed the history of U. S. Navy-building since the War, showing how, as the result of waiting hope fully for cruiser limitation as well as capital ship limitation, the U. S. had fallen far short of the parity agreed to with Britain at Washington in 1922, and would fall farther short if replacements were not soon authorized. He showed how auxiliaries, which are all that the new program called for, are the "eyes" of the Battle Fleet, whose size is fixed. He tried to tell the country that it spends as much on candy in one year as the Navy wants to spend in nine years to make the world safe for candy-eaters. He pointed at the billions spent in U. S. beauty parlors. He invoked ancestors. He hailed posterity.

But the kind of debaters that Congress has to listen to at public bill hearings seldom listen themselves to debaters on the other side. They are emotionalists. For example, a professor of history at Swarthmore) College, Dr. William I. Hull, representing the World Alliance for International Friendship and the Church Peace Union, made a long pacifist speech to the Committee. When he had finished he was asked:

"What would you do with the present Navy?"

"I don't know anything about the present Navy," he said.

Next day the Committee's time was considerably occupied by Mrs. William Sherman Walker, vice president of the Daughters of the American Revolution. She was incensed with a pacifist named Frederick J. Libby, who heads a Council for the Prevention of War, and also with Professor Hull, who had said something (perfectly true) about the American colonists not having entered the Revolution unanimously. Mrs. Walker was for having Professor Hull deported. Acting Chairman Britten-of the Committee tactfully suggested that the D. A. R. pass a resolution to that effect.

So many, so loud and so persistent were the Hulls and the Libbys, the cranks and the clergy, and innumerable women as peaceful as the D. A. R. is martial, that the "Big Navy" program dwindled. After reading the week's mail, Representative Britten told President Coolidge that he guessed the Big-Navy plans had best be revamped for a Little Big-Navy- At the end of the week it was about agreed to authorize the following:

15 cruisers (instead of 25).

10 cruisers (optional with the President if and when funds are available).

1 aircraft carrier (instead of 5).

No other ships (omitting the 9 destroyer leaders and 32 submarines).

$264,000,000 (instead of $800,000,000).

* TIME, Feb. 20, referred to Representative Britten as Chairman of the Naval Affairs Committee. Score an error for TIME. Mr. Britten often substitutes, but not permanently, for Chairman Thomas S. Butler of Pennsylvania.--ED.