BATTLESHIP PROGRAMME REDUCED. INCREASE OF SUBMARINES.

Evening Post, Volume LXXV, Issue 47, 25 February 1908, Page 7

BATTLESHIP PROGRAMME REDUCED. INCREASE OF SUBMARINES.

(Received February 25, 8.43 a.m.) NEW YORK, 24th February. The United States House of Representatives Naval Committee reduced the battleship programme from four to two, and possibly one, ttad recommend the construction of 8 submarines "of the Holland type instead of* four. General Grant is a son of General Ulysses S. Grant, thp well-known soldiei and one time President of the United States. He is a cavalry officer, and did some good work in Cuba. He is now commanding the department of the East. The Act which was passed on 2nd February, 1901. to increase the efficiency of the permanent military establishment of the United States fixes the maximum number of enlisted men at 100,000. The authorised strength of the regular army is 3857 officers and 60,390 enlisted men. In addition there have been organised, in pursuance of law, a provisional regiment of two battalions of infantry in Porto Rico, consisting of 28 officers and 554 enlisted men, and 50 companies of scouts in the Philippines, consisting of 116 officers and 5200 men. Besides the regular army each Stato is supposed to have an unorganised militia, in which all men from 18 to 44 (inclusive) capable of bearing arms ought to u,e enrolled. The American fleet is not by any means as big as some Americans would like to see it. The vessels under Admiral Itvans consist of fourteen battleships, ionr protecte'l cruisers, a guriboat, and a few smaller craft. This •epreser.ts the backbone of tho navy. Of course, thero are several old iron and wooden cruising vessels, several small j;imboa,ts converted trom yachts and tugs, others taken from Spain and used ?n the Philippine? for picket duty, and vessels appropriated for training ships Miid other purposes out these would not bo of much service in the event of war. Now that the main American fleet is starting for the Pacific, Mr. Roosevelt and the heads of tho American Navy are taking steps to replaco it by a great naval programme for 1908, the largest ever introduced in the United States. The details of tho new programme which tha Secretary of the United Stateß Navy recently laid before Congress provides the following ships will be laid down in 1908: — i battleships of Delaware type, cost each £1,900,000 4 fast scout cruisers 500,000 10 destroyers 170,000 4 submarines 76,000 1 ammunition ship 350,000 1 repair ship ... ... 400,000 4 colliers 050,000 In addition to which £100,000 is demanded for the equipment ot two cruisers as mine-laying vessels. The total cost of the programme submitted for 1908 is £14,000,000.