U.S. NAVAL AFFAIRS.

Grey River Argus, 16 January 1928, Page 6

U.S. NAVAL AFFAIRS.

President Criticised. FOR FAILURE TO SET A LIMIT. WASHINGTON, January 13. The House Naval Affairs Committee criticised President Coolidge’s failure In set a definite time limit for the con/ pletion of the building programme. Members of the Committee expressed the fear that such failure would be liable to cause future conflict with the President. Meantime, tho Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Mr Robinson) appeared before the Committee and explained the discrepancy between Mr Wilbur’s first estimate of a 3360 million dollars programme and the corrected figure of 2280 millions, which Mr Wilbur later issued. Mr Robinson revealed that the Naval General Board had first drafted I the programme calling for the first figure. This programme included battleships and additional destroyers, but was discarded because it was seen to be unnecessary to start battleship and destroyer replacements at the present time. PRESIDENT REQUESTS GRANT FOR AIR NAVIGATION. WASHINGTON, January 14. The Senate has received from President Coolidge a request for 475,000 dollars for additional air navigation facilities next year. The Commerce Department would use the funds to provide 2,500 more miles of lights in airways for night flying, and improvement in radio and air mail facilities.