that kind. You are rather calling attention to the recommendations made by the General Board?

Secretary WILBUR. Exactly.

Mr. FRENCH. And the General Board is the institution of the Navy that is charged with having its eyes on the state of the Navy from the standpoint of a great instrument of defense?

Secretary WILBUR. Exactly.

Mr. FRENCH. And you are understood as being behind the recommendation brought to us by the Bureau of the Budget, as you made your statement to me?

Secretary WILBUR. Exactly. We are not combating the Budget. Mr. FRENCH. I merely wanted to raise the question now, so that in any one's reading of the report there would not be given the impression that you, as Secretary of the Navy, were here opposing a program that is recommended by the Budget in the statement, and I felt tha a statement from you on that point probably ought to be put in at this time.

Secretary WILBUR. That is correct, sir. The Budget, of course, is based on the personnel of 86,000 men. Mr. FRENCH. Yes.

Secretary WILBUR. So far as efficiency of personnel is concerned a high standard has been maintained. The progress as evidenced by the results of tactical maneuvers, gunnery, and engineering competition is satisfactory. The educational systems for technical and higher training of officers and men have been carried on with satisfactory results.

REPAIRS AND ALTERATIONS

As regards material the shortage of funds available for repairs and alterations has made it necessary to reduce such work to a minimum, and even then there is not enough money. Early in the present fiscal year it was necessary to stop alterations to ships in order to conserve the appropriations. The progress of invention and the mechanical arts generally is so great that the Navy can not afford to mark time but must be kept abreast of such progress. This deterioration in material condition is particularly marked in the case of the battleships, the first line of the Navy. Four of the six coal-burning battleships are already in need of new boilers and the other two will be in the same condition in a year or two. These can not be installed until funds are made available for this purpose. One battleship, the Florida, is now in reserve at Boston awaiting such authorization. Until new boilers are installed the services of this vessel will be lost to the fleet. It is only a question of time until the remaining five coal-burning battleships will be in the same condition.

MODERNIZATION OF VESSELS

It is earnestly hoped that the bill (H. R. 8687) authorizing additional alterations to certain vessels and providing additional construction, now before Congress, will pass. The total cost of modernization of the six coal-burning battleships is $18,360,000, including oil-burning boilers. The installation of new boilers in four of these ships is necessary to keep these ships in the first line. It is proposed to utilize new oil-burning boilers now on hand for this purpose.

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The cost of installing oil-burning boilers and oil storage on these six ships aggregates $5,234,000.

If the convention to oil burning is not to be accomplished, it will be necessary to renew the installation of the coal burning boilers in the Utah, Florida, Arkansas, and Wyoming. The unit cost for each battery is estimated to be $300,000 for the purchase of the boilers, and $350,000 for their installation, aggregating $650,000 for each of the four ships, or a total expenditure of $2,600,000, retaining all the objectionable features of the coal-burning ship.

You notice that the cost of installing oil burning will be $5,234,000. In addition to these necessary repairs 13 battleships antedating the Tennessee class should at the earliest possible date be modernized. The treaty for the limitation of naval armament specifically provides for the addition of bulges or blisters for protection against torpedo and bomb attack and for increased deck protection against aerial bomb attack. Information from abroad is to the effect that such work is being proceeded with by the leading naval powers, and it is considered vital that we proceed with these necessary alterations without delay.

REPLACEMENT PROGRAM

Over and above these repairs and alterations to our existing naval units, attention is invited to the lack of any authorized program of replacements. Lacking such program, as the years go on, the Navy will inevitably drop further and further to the rear until everyone of its units will be outclassed by those of foreign navies. In this connection it is to be noted that Great Britain has already embarked upon a replacement program for cruisers, of which five are to be laid down this year. In addition three are under construction and two more have been authorized by Australia. Many of our units particularly our older cruisers, are now approaching the limit of their useful lives and must be scrapped within a very short time as no longer able to contribute materially to the battle strength of the Navy.

SHORE ESTABLISHMENTS

So far as our shore establishments are concerned they have been maintained during the past year at about the same level as during the preceding year. With the continually increasing calls by the fleet upon the appropriations for maintenance and the necessity for getting along on reduced appropriations the time is rapidly approaching if it has not already arrived when part of the present shore establishment should be placed in an inactive status.

TREATY ARRANGEMENTS INITIATED OR CONCLUDED SINCE PREVIOUS

HEARING

No treaties having a direct effect upon our naval policy have been initiated or concluded by the United States since the last hearing of the Appropriation Committee.

FOREIGN NAVIES

STEPS ACTUALLY TAKEN WHICH SHOULD INFLUENCE OUR COURSE

While we have so far embarked on no new postwar construction with the exception of the four "V" class submarines (authorized in 1916) and the aircraft carriers Lexington and Saratoga, such is not the case abroad. All the leading naval powers are proceeding, some on a considerable scale, with the construction of all types which were not limited or forbidden by the Washington treaty.

SHIPS UNDER CONSTRUCTION BY LEADING NAVAL POWERS

The following table shows, according to the latest information, the number of vessels now under construction for the navies of the leading naval powers:

All these units are being converted either from completed or partially completed battleships or cruiser. In addition 2 recently authorized by Australia, and 2 by Japan.

In addition 6 of the S-class submarines are still uncompleted.

Mr. FRENCH. In that connection, Mr. Secretary, could you not

add to this table the dates when these ships were begun?

Secretary WILBUR. Yes; we can furnish that information.

Mr. FRENCH. The point is, it might make a great deal of difference whether or not a ship was 90 per cent completed or merely begun. Secretary WILBUR. Yes; we can do that. Of course, the British

battleships are very nearly completed.

1 In addition, 6 of S-class submarines are still uncompleted. Will probably be completed in 1925. SUMMATION OF TYPES ABOVE

It is to be noted that the completion of the above programs will reduce materially our relative naval strength as it existed at the time of the Washington conference as regards cruiser and submarine tonnage. This is particularly noteworthy in the case of modern cruisers, first line, built, building, and authorized, of which we now have only 10, including 1, the Memphis, not yet completed, as against Great Britain 47, Japan 25, France 7, and Italy 10.

NAVAL AIR FORCES

Not only are the leading naval powers increasing their surface and submarine units but all are expanding their naval air arms. This is particularly true in Japan, where it is proposed to increase the present naval aviation strength to 28 active squadrons by 1928. A British aviation detachment has recently completed a three-year mission to Japan, during which time the whole Japanese naval aviation arm was reorganized and trained in the latest methods of aerial operations and combat. Great Britain has also recently taken steps to increase the numbers and effectiveness of that portion of the Royal Air Force which is assigned to the Navy. The French and Italian Navies are also paying a great deal of attention to their aviation arms.

STEPS TAKEN TO CURTAIL EXPENDITURES

Vessels: Except in Great Britain, where considerable financial stringency and unemployment exist, the number of vessels maintained in active commission by the leading naval powers, shows, during the past year, no important decrease. For the first time since the war, the European naval powers have individually engaged in extensive naval maneuvers, the location in nearly all cases being the Mediterranean, where at the present time the bulk of the naval strength of Great Britain, as well as that of France and Italy, is concentrated.

The Japanese Navy has, within the last few weeks, engaged in maneuvers on a very great scale, involving mobilization of practically the entire Navy. The sum of 4,275,000 yen was allocated for this purpose in the Japanese budget of 1924-25. These maneuvers were held off the south and east coasts of Japan and represented a naval