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Show WOULD AUTHORIZE SALE OF WARSHIPS WASHINGTON, Juno 1. Tbe senate today amended the naval appropriation so as to authorize the sale of the battleships bat-tleships Idaho and Mississippi and the construction of a modern dreadnought with the money. Greece is understood to be the prospective purchaser. Explaining the plan of the government. govern-ment. Senator Lodge informed the senate sen-ate that if the authorization was made it was expected a European country would offer to buy the two vessels at their cost or more. "These boats, completed in 1008, are i useless now.' remarked Senator 1 Thomas of Colorado. "The boats we are building ndw will be obsolete in 1910." 'Oh, no," responded Senator Lodge, "these vessels are not usele:s; they are splendid ships, but it is believed one larger vessel is more desirable for us." 'Senator Lane of Oregon puggested that in 1919 the United States would be buying back the smaller vessels because be-cause the large one would be too easy a mark for airship bombs. The senate reinserted the house provision pro-vision for the building of one of the two new battleships at a government navy yard, hut struck out an appropriation appropria-tion for equipping a second naw yard for battleship construction. The "Brooklyn "Brook-lyn yard now Is the only government plant so equipped. A clause was inserted to authorize the secretary of the navy to appoint annually fifteen enlisted men, not over 20 years of age, to the naval academy. A similar provision in the measure as it passed the house had been eliminated by the naval committee. |