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Show Navy Needs 200,000 Recruits for Coming Year to Man Ships WASHINGTON. Oct. 23 Two hun-drod hun-drod thousand recruits for the navy will be needed in the coming year mainly to man merchant ships In government gov-ernment service, Secretary Daniels Informed In-formed the house naval committee today. to-day. This increase would bring the naval personnel to more than 700,000 compared com-pared with 51,000 at the beginning of the war. WASHINGTON, Oct .22. Congress has been asked by tho navy department depart-ment to nuthorize a second three-year naval building program to provide ton additional superdreadnaughts, six battle bat-tle cruisers and 140 smaller vessels at a cost of ?GOO,0,00,00.0. This was disclosed dis-closed tonight by Secretary Daniels after his 'appearance before the house naval committee to explain the appropriation. appro-priation. This authorization is asked for the next fiscal year and is in addition to I the 156 naval vessels comprising the first three-year building program, authorized au-thorized in 1916 and the great number of new destroyers and other special types contracted for since the United States entered the wark. Work on the first three-year program -was delayed by tho war, but congress has required that a start must be made on all the vessels before next July 1. Including the $600,000,000 for the three-year program Secretary Daniels said the estimates of the department for ship construction and armament amount this year to $972,000,000. Only $200,000,000 of the ,$COO,000,000 will be made avallnble next yer for construction construc-tion work on the three-year program, in addition to $372,090,000 is asked for completing vessels already authorized. lob vessels on rronrdm. "The new program of 156 vessels," said Secretary Daniels, "prescribes specific numbers of battleships and battle cruisers only, there being ten battleships asked for and six battle cruisers. As regards smaller vessels, the total number is to be 140, it is simply asked that they be of types already approved and in existence or of new types which may develop during dur-ing the life of tho program, the details being left to the discretion of ihe navy department. "The new three-year program Is a continuation of the policy adopted In 1916 of increasing the navy and contemplates con-templates its steady upbuilding and improvement- It is In line with the policy adopted by this government, and which has mot with the entire approval ap-proval of the American people of building up a navy strong enough to meet all requirements. Sixteen Capital Ships Needed. "This program if authorized by congress con-gress as T am confident it will be, will glvo us sixteen capital ships that will be the equal of any afloat at the timo they arc built The battelships and battle cruisers authorized in tho, first three-year program will be unexcelled by those of any other navy, and Qie country may rest assured that in tho new construction authorized, our constructors con-structors will produce the most powerful pow-erful and effective of fighting craft. Many Destroyers Needed. "The imperative necessity of getting out as rapidly as possible all destroyers destroy-ers and types of craft needed in the "ft'ar against the submarine for the necessities ne-cessities of warfare for the time required re-quired us to concentrate upon this class of construction has led to the fear in some quarters that in devoting so much necessary attention to the building of smaller craft, we might fail some in looking out for the future in building the capital ships on which the strength of a navy ultimately depends. de-pends. This the navy authorities have always had in mind. The three-year program adopted In 1916 provided for ten battleships and six battle cruisers. Now we ask for as many more, to be built as those formerly authorized are completed ,and facilities become available. avail-able. "The total expenditure authorized upon this new program is $600,000,000. the provision for the first year being a third of this, $200,000,000. This is exclusive of estimates for emergency appropriations for new vessels to be built under war urgency, which total $1-10.000,000, and also of estimates for continuing and pushing the old program, pro-gram, the emergency construction of destroyers under way, etc. "Including the $600,000,000 for which authorization is requested In the new three-year program, the total estimates esti-mates of the department for ship construction, con-struction, including armor and armament arma-ment amount this year to $972,090,000. This total amount I recommend for appropriation, ap-propriation, next year for ship construction, con-struction, thaf Is for completing vessels ves-sels already authorized and for new vessels is $572,090,000." |