men, or a 1-year period for 1,794 men. Just common sense indicates there that we got more for our money by taking them for a year. Senator BYRNES. Well, what is the explanation of the request that you didn't submit, though, of $25,000,000? Admiral NIMITZ. We are already faced with a deficiency on the additional aviation cadets that are going to be trained in the expanded training program. Our estimate indicates that for 1941 there will be 807 additional aviation cadets over and above what the act provides for, and that accounts for $2,292,526. Senator BYRNES. Admiral, do you not think that you are basing your estimate on a deficiency for the fiscal year which has just begun? Admiral NIMITZ. Well, that is what I thought all of this business was. Senator BYRNES. On this particular thing that you are asking now, though, in most of these cases it is supplementary, but now you do not know, as a matter of fact, how many cadets you will have. It is still speculative. Admiral NIMITZ. It is very speculative, but I think that this sum of $25,000,000 to increase the amount of training given to the Reserves is nodest, and I think it is justified. Senator BYRNES. I am trying to find out. Of that amount, you alk about the $2,000,000, the break-down to 1,700 men per year, and have asked you now what is the balance of the $23,000,000, and you ere going into that. My inquiry is based upon the idea that you ow have, that before the beginning of the fiscal year you will be able › enlist a larger number of men than you thought a few weeks ago. Admiral NIMITZ. Yes, sir. Senator BYRNES. If you do not enlist them, you would not need the oney. If you did enlist them, you would have to incur a deficiency. ou have the right to incur a deficiency, all right. LOCAL DEFENSE ORGANIZATIONS Admiral NIMITZ. We want to increase the funds for drill and tining cruisers of local defense organizations some 240 officers and $20 men. We want to increase the Organized Reserve divisions om a total of-I think there are now 69 men, and we want to increase em to 100 men. That is the Organized Reserves. That accounts some of this money. FOURTEEN-DAY TRAINING PERIODS FOR ALL NAVAL RESERVISTS We want to give training periods of 14 days, exclusive of travel ne, to all Naval Reservists on the rolls, some 10,000 officers and 100 men. That accounts for about 19,500. Senator BYRNES. There is no provision made in the regular bill for at? Admiral NIMITZ. No; not for those men. Senator BYRNES. Is there any estimate submitted for them? Admiral NIMITZ. We have tried over the years to get money for the lunteer Reserves, and the most we have gotten, I think, is about percent per year, which means that a man would get a 2-week ining period every 20 years. Senator BYRNES. Was any estimate submitted to Congress this ar? Admiral NIMITZ. Yes, sir. Senator BYRNES. What was the amount? Admiral NIMITZ. The Budget eliminated it. Senator BYRNES. My recollection is we not only gave you what you asked for for the Reserve, but added an additional amount that I asked. Admiral NIMITZ. That $2,000,000 that you added, yes, could be a part of this $25,000,000. Senator BYRNES. But you say that in addition to the number of Reserves that were included in the estimate submitted to the Congress, you anticipate a plan by which you will give training to an additional number of Reserves? Admiral NIMITZ. Volunteer Reserves. We planned to give additional training to the Organized Reserves who are now enlisted, training for 14 days a year. EXTENSION OF RESERVE TRAINING Senator BYRNES. But they do train? Admiral NIMITZ. Yes; they train, but they will have additional training periods because of the work that they are doing in the districts in connection with mine sweeping and mine laying and net tending exercises. Senator BYRNES. They would just be retained for a period longer than this 14 days. Admiral NIMITZ. We ask you to remove that restriction on the number of drills, which is 48 paid drills a year, leave that to the discretion of the Secretary. We want to be able to have longer period of training. Instead of having one 2-week period we may want t have several 2-week periods during the year, and we want to able to do that, when we get the mines and nets available for thes different organizations. Senator BYRNES. How much money are you asking for this en tension of the training period? Admiral NIMITZ. I do not have that broken down in detail, but would be glad to get it for you, because this has just been hande me by the Chief of Naval Operations, that we have to make pu vision for longer training, more training exercises in the districts. Senator BYRNES. Which was not submitted to the House? Admiral NIMITZ. No, sir; that is brand new. Senator BYRNES. How much money does that make, that addition period? Admiral NIMITZ. I can not give you the break-down on that no Senator BYRNES. What is the rest of the $25,000,000? Senator HALE. How much would it take to give 2 weeks' traini to the Volunteers? Admiral NIMITZ. To the Volunteers it would take, for training riods of 14 days exclusive of travel time, all Naval Reservists now the rolls, in addition to the Organized Reserves, 10,000 officers, th would be $3,200,000; 9,500 men, $2,522,250. Senator ADAMS. Ten thousand officers and only 9,500 men? : 1 MERCHANT MARINE RESERVE Senator HALE. Most of these are in the merchant marine now? Admiral NIMITZ. No; that is a separate Reserve. We are taking care of them separately. There are only a very few men in the Merchant Marine Naval Reserve, but there are quite a few officers, and we are taking them under the authorizations we already have. Senator BYRNES. If you do any of this, you want to take this out? Admiral NIMITZ. We want to strike that out in order to give the Navy Department a freer hand in arranging drills and training exercises. Senator BYRNES. Of course, Admiral, you still have not told us what would become of but a small part of the estimate of $25,000,000. BREAK-DOWN OF AMOUNT REQUESTED Admiral NIMITZ. I have here a total that adds up to $9,849,988, beginning with 807 cadets, $2,292,526. Increased funds for training cruises, local defense organization $544,508. Printing and binding appropriations for additional training courses, and so forth, and then the other training that has to be done, $30,000. To increase each of the 129 organized reserve divisions to 100 men, and to increase the aviation squadrons to 1,083 men. That makes a total of $869,303, plus $307,309. Senator HALE. Have you a recommendation from the Budget for this? Admiral NIMITZ. No, sir. Senator BYRNES. You have not got but about $5,000,000 yet. Admiral NIMITZ. Then training periods of 14 days, exclusive of ravel time, all Naval Reservists, $3,200,000, and 9,500 men, 12.522.250. Replace 20 divisions assigned to local defense at $538,835. That adds up $20,849,998, and it leaves a balance of a little over 4,000,000 for some of this hiring of fishing vessels or anything that re cannot foresee now. I would prefer to furnish for the record a break-down of what we rould do with this $25,000,000. Senator BYRNES. Do you expect to submit an estimate for it to he Budget? Admiral NIMITZ. I merely bring it to your attention because of he changed situation. Things have happened so rapidly in the last weeks that we feel that we should give our Reserves more Mining. Senator HALE. Until you get a Budget recommendation, it is imPossible for us to go ahead without that recommendation or some urther knowledge of it. STATEMENT OF REAR ADMIRAL J. C. TOWERS, CHIEF OF BUREAU OF AERONAUTICS INCREASE FOR MAINTENANCE AND REPAIRS Senator BYRNES. Admiral Towers has been here all the morning. Have you something to present, Admiral? Admiral TOWERS. I would like to request that if the committee eliminates the $300,000 for the first increment on the three small rigid airships, that that money, which was passed as part of our lump sum by the Budget, be restored to the Bureau of Aeronautics appropriations under "Maintenance, repairs, and so forth," changing that figure from $870,400 to $1,170,000. And I might explain the justification for that. That item for airships was not included in my figures that went to the Budget, and when the item was introduced I merely had to take care of it by reducing something else. The Budget passed the $300,000, but did not pass it in the beginning as a rigid-airship item Senator BYRNES. What did they deduct it from? Admiral TOWERS. They deducted it from the whole figure, which was $22,885,000. Senator BYRNES. You would rather have it for something else? Admiral TOWERS. If the lighter-than-air ships are eliminated I would like to have it for maintenance, because I anticipate quite difficult situation in maintenance anyway. Many items have com up since these estimates were prepared that were not contemplated. Senator BYRNES. Well, what you have is a lump sum? Admiral ToWERS. Yes, sir. Senator BYRNES. For new construction, procurement, aircraf equipment, spare parts, and accessories. Well, it is included in th $870,400 figure for maintenance, repair, and operation. Admiral TOWERS. That is right; I would like to have it include yes, sir. Senator BYRNES. What else have you? Admiral TOWERS. I have nothing else. I would like to say befo I leave the stand, however, that you asked the question of Admir Stark as to whether this delay was affecting the activities. There items in this bill in the shape of public works, aviation constructio that we are anxious to get started on. Admiral Moreell will tell y that he is all ready to go ahead on them at once, because he c negotiate contracts. STATEMENT OF MAJ. GEN. THOMAS HOLCOMB, COMMANDAN UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS MATÉRIEL SITUATION IN THE MARINE CORPS General HOLCOMB. Admiral Stark told the committee just bel he left that I would give the committee a picture of the matér situation in the Marine Corps. Shall I do that briefly? Senator BYRNES. Well, you know what is in this bill? General HOLCOMB. Yes, sir. Senator BYRNES. You are in favor of it? Senator BYRNES. You are not in favor of our cutting out or reducing it? General HOLCOMB. No; but it has only got two items for the Marine Corps in it. Senator HALE. Are you asking for anything that is not included in the bill? General HOLCOMB. I wanted to tell the committee the need for these things. Senator BYRNES. You have something not in the bill? ITEMS IN BILL FOR MARINE CORPS The bill General HOLCOMB. Not something not in the bill, no. carries two items affecting the Marine Corps. One is our share of $10,000,000 reserve matériel, and the other is an item of $1,800,000 under Navy ordnance for the purchase of ammunition. I think the committee should know the situation with regard to guns, ammunition, equipment, for the Marine Corps; in the event of war this material for the forces to be put in the field will be furnished by the Marine Corps within the first two and a half months of the war. Under guns, machine guns, ammunition, fire-control equipment, anks, landing boats and lighters, radio equipment, clothing, military upplies, equipment, there is needed forty-three and a third million ollars. The initial supply and equipment of the forces that are upposed to be put into the field by the Marine Corps in the firstSenator HALE (interposing). Over and above everything you have? General HOLCOмв. Yes, sir. Senator HALE. Over and above everything in the bill? General HOLCOMB. Well, to arm and equip the first three forces Senator BYRNES. What is it that constitutes this? You need mament and munitions for the fleet, marine force, guns and mounts, 299,000. How is this arrived at? General HOLCOMB. That is arrived at from the total equipment les and allowance tables for these first relief reinforced brigades. Senator BYRNES. Tables prepared by whom? General HOLCOMB. By the Marine Corps, and approved by the partment. Senator BYRNES. Why did you not submit it to the House in their sideration of this bill? General HOLCOMB. The situation, as far as I know, has changed a since we went before the House, and we submitted to the House at the Department authorized us to submit. Admiral Stark ed on me to provide that information to him yesterday, and I vided it. |