2 HEARINGS BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS SIXTY-NINTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION ON H. R. 7554 A BILL MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE NAVY AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 82339 Printed for the use of the Committee on Appropriations WASHINGTON 1926 NAVY DEPARTMENT APPROPRIATION BILL, 1927 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1926 UNITED STATES SENATE, SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, Washington, D. C. The subcommittee met at 10.30 o'clock a. m., pursuant to the call of the chairman, in the committee room, Capitol, Senator Frederick Hale, presiding. Present: Senators Hale (chairman), Phipps, Cameron, Glass, Oddie, and Swanson. The subcommittee thereupon proceeded to the consideration of the bill (H. R. 7554) making appropriations for the Navy Department and the naval service for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1927, and for other purposes. STATEMENT OF HON. CURTIS D. WILBUR, SECRETARY OF THE NAVY The CHAIRMAN (Senator Hale). Mr. Secretary, the committee would like to have from you a statement about the general condition of the Navy at the present time, and then we would like to have you give us your views about this year's appropriation bill as it comes over to us from the House, and any suggestions which you may have to make about changes in the bill. Secretary WILBUR. Very well, Mr. Chairman. GENERAL STATEMENT In the first place, speaking broadly in regard to the condition of the Navy, the matter is very fully covered in the report made to the President by the Secretary of the Navy and in the reports made by the heads of bureaus, in great detail. I think it should be stated however, that the condition of the personnel is first-class, that the number of desertions has decreased, that the percentage of reenlistments has increased, that the effect of the Australian cruise was most excellent on officers and men in the service, and that they produced a most excellent impression in Australia. That matter is covered in the reports. With reference to matériel, that matter will be dealt with in detail in response to your questions; but the ships of the fleet are in good condition. We have some of our battleships now undergoing modernization. Periodical overhauls have been made, and the engineering and machinery problems of the Navy, while they have been fairly well taken care of, are growing more acute, owing to the accumulation of needed repairs. That will be spoken of in detail in connection with the cutting of the appropriations for engineering in the House. I wanted to make it clear at the outset, in asking the Senate committee to restore appropriations which were approved by the Bureau of the Budget, that while we will try to demonstrate to the committee that this restoration is highly desirable, we are not asking Congress for any increased appropriations over and above the amount allowed by the Budget. Of course the condition of the Navy will be developed, and it will be for the Congress to say just what shall be done; but whatever emphasis we place upon the necessity of restoration of these amounts is with a view to securing, if we can, from Congress that which the Budget Bureau felt we should have, and that which has been approved by the President. I have a detailed study of the bill before me, and can give you some data concerning it, and will do so; but the details will be brought out more fully, if you desire, by the Chief of Naval Operations and the chiefs of bureaus. The Chief of Naval Operations has prepared a statement showing the effect upon the naval service of the cuts made by the House. I can state broadly the lines of these reductions, and let the details be developed as we proceed. Senator HALE. Mr. Secretary, in regard to the general condition of the Navy, do you consider that the Navy is in as good or better condition than it was a year ago at this time? Secretary WILBUR. I should say the personnel was in better condition, basing that statement upon the reports of the officers of the fleet. Senator HALE. Not numerically? Secretary WILBUR. Oh, no. Senator HALE. But as to the condition of the existing personnel? Secretary WILBUR. The reenlistment of men has been a great help, and the reduction of desertions has been a very great help; and, as I have said, the cruise to Australia was a very great help in holding the morale of the Navy, and, no doubt, in securing reenlistments. With reference to the matériel, that question will have to be answered somewhat in detail; but it is true that we are holding back some needed repairs. We are delaying some needed improvements; and while I think everything has been done that could have been done with the money in hand, it is obvious that as the ships grow older, unless the upkeep is fully maintained, there will be a constant deterioration. The ships that are undergoing overhaul for modernization, of course, will be placed in very good condition. Senator HALE. Do you feel that with the amount allowed by the Budget the necessary repairs to matériel can be made this year? Secretary WILBUR. My understanding is that the necessary repairs can be made; that there are repairs which are considered desirable which may have to be postponed, and that the improvements contemplated will have to be entirely postponed. In other words, to make that a little clearer, in the amount allowed by the Budget there is some amount, as I remember, necessary on account of contemplated improvements, but not the amount we desired. With the cut made by the House I think there is nothing left for those improvements. All the money will have to be devoted to repairs and upkeep. As I say, this is a general statement. I should like to have the details given by the Bureau of Engineering. Senator HALE. Mr. Secretary, Congress has sometimes been criticized for not appropriating a sufficient amount to take care of the fleet. If the Budget does not allow a sufficient amount for the upkeep of the fleet, I think we ought to know about it from you; and if you have any statement to make about that we should like to have it. Secretary WILBUR. I have prepared a detailed statement on that point. Admiral Halligan, of Engineering, will have that statement. Senator HALE. I mean, if you think that the Budget does not provide a sufficient amount, we should like to have any suggestions from you as to what is necessary for the upkeep of the fleet. Secretary WILBUR. I can have those suggestions prepared for you; but I have asked Admiral Halligan to be here, and the figures have been gone over in the department over and over again, and they are all familiar with them. I did not bring the figures here with a view of making that statement. I would rather have it made after a careful preparation than to make some offhand statement; but we are prepared to explain to the committee exactly what will be the effect of the Budget Bureau's figures and of the House figures and of the figures we proposed to the Budget originally. In other words, we can show you exactly what we intended to do. It is not a question of some broad generality. We have in mind certain definite things that we wanted to do, and the money it would take to do those definite things, and that can be presented to you. I mean, I can have it prepared and presented. Senator HALE. That can be done through the chief of bureau? Secretary WILBUR. Admiral Halligan has gone over that thoroughly. The figures are well in hand. Admiral McVay, our Budget officer, has also gone over it thoroughly. I did not prepare myself this morning to tell you in dollars and cents just what we had wanted and what we had to omit by reason of not having what we originally asked for, and so on. Senator SWANSON. Will you take up with the bureau chiefs every request made by you to the Budget Bureau, what you would do had it been granted, and what will be the situation if it is not granted? Secretary WILBUR. We are prepared to present that. Senator SWANSON. So you may present to us the same questions that were presented to the Budget Bureau? Secretary WILBUR. Exactly. We have the material to do that, and the officers are here for that purpose. I thought you would like to have me state in a preliminary way the broad, general facts of the cuts made by the House, and then take up the subject in more or less detail. As we understand, the House made cuts in men, in money for repairs, and in other items, upon the theory that the department would and must decommission some of our ships. We believe, from a study of the figures in the bill as passed by the House, that it was contemplated that we should decommission 19 destroyers. The House committee, in making its report to Congress, disaffirmed the idea that they were undertaking to say to the Navy Department what ships should be decommissioned. Admiral Eberle has made a study of the effect of decommissioning ships and the number that probably will have to be decommissioned, and I prefer to have him give you that information. He has made a study of the matter in great detail. That is the main cut along that line. |