AMERICAN FLEET

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21758, 24 March 1934, Page 11

AMERICAN FLEET

CONSTRUCTION PROGRAMME BILL PASSED BY CONGRESS (Received. March 23, 5.5 j.m.) WASHINGTON. March 22 The final draft of the Naval Bill Ttras approved by the House of Repfesentatives and by the Senate to-day without division. The measure, goes to White House immediately for President Roosevelt's approval, which is assured. The bill provides for the construction of 102 warships and 1184 aircraft over a - pej-iod of 'four to five years. The estimated cost is between 600,000,000 and 900,000,000 dollars. JAPANESE NAVY Relations with America RUMOUR CONTRADICTED ■ ' t TOKIO, March 22 The Ministry of the Navy characterises as without foundation a British United Press report from London that japan would be satisfied with her existing naval ratio if America revised her policy of excluding Japanese, recoghised Manchukuo and abandoned her feir, army and naval bases in the Philippines. The London message said that such fras the background of the . Notes exfchanged by the Japanese Foreign Minister, Mr. Kiki 'Hirota, and Mr. Cordell Hull, United States Secretary of State. t - It is declared that the Japanese Navy Department is unchanged in its determination to have the naval ratio revised