Show AN IOU III I 1 sih I 1 a A r NA Y president resident ir urges provision Provis loll for building of four IP new battleships washington peb feb 6 though the house committee on naval affairs haz has taken no vote on the subject there is excellent authority for predicting that it will recommend the appropriation of money for the building of two instead of the four battleships urged by president roosevelt and secretary metcalf the cor certainty tanty of a heavy deficit and the prospect of decreased revenges revenues during the next fiscal year have been held up as a warning caming by chirman chairman tawney of th the 0 appropriations eions committee and a general tendency on tho the part of the republicans in the house to hold down expenses Is evident the naval commit tco feels that it Is wiser to trim and prune in the committee than to recommend measures of expenditure which probably would be voted down on the floor it Is likely however that the committee will recommend recommend an appropriation to cover tho the reception into the navy ot of at least of the additional a men asked for b by r the secretary of the navy to man the new battleships new hampshire idaho and mississippi sis sippi and the new armored cruisers north carolina and montana alon tana soon to go into commission the navy Is now GOO men short of its quota it seems assured however that tho the impending proposal to cut down tho the battleship appropriation from four to two will be met by firm resistance on the part of the democratic members among those are representative talbott of maryland who launched the big navy policy in the forty seventh congress and hobson of alabama who was elected to this his first seat in congress chiefly on a larger navy platform so earnest to Is the presidents desire that four battleships be provided at this session that today he sent tor for talbott and hobson padgett of tennessee and lamar or florida all members of the naval committee they went to tho the white house and were closeted with the president tor for some time discussing the situation as it obtains obtain s in the committee and may shape itself in the house there was no difference or opinion as to the need ofa larger navy but the best means of meeting the prospective opposition to a four ship appropriation at this session webe were canvassed |