OCR Text |
Show CONGRESS ADOPTS GREATERNAVYPLAN HOUSE ACCEPTS THE BUILDING PROGRAM PROPOSED BY THE SENATE. Measure Provides for 157 War Vessels ', Within the Next Three Years, Eight Cruisers and Battlesnips to be Built in 1917. Washington. Congress virtually fcompleted the national dufen.se program pro-gram on Tuesday, finally approving the great increase In naval construction construc-tion and personnel written Into the naval hill and urgently supported by the administration. The house accepted the building program, to which its conferees on the measure had refused to agree, by a vote of 283 to 51, with seven of the members present and not voting. The personnel increases, on which there ulso was a disagreement in conference, were approved without a record vote. The personnel and construction sections, sec-tions, which already have the approval cf the senate, authorize an Increase in enlisted men to 74,700 and the building build-ing of 157 war vessels within the next three years with four battle cruisers and -'our battleships Included among the ships for 1917. Previously the house had refused to adopt a continuing continu-ing building program, had authorized only five capital ships, all of them tie cruisers, and had provided for a personnel of only 65,000. On several less important sections, Including appropriations for Improvement Improve-ment of navy yards, the house insisted on. its disagreement to senate increases and voted to send the bill back to con. wrence for settlement of these points. An early agreement is expected, how-ver, how-ver, and the measure may he sent to the president for his signature within with-in a week. |