U.S. NAVY TO BE CUT

Chronicle (Levin), 31 October 1949, Page 5

U.S. NAVY TO BE CUT

(N.Z.P.A.—

-Reuter.

Ships To Be Wiihdrawn As EcoiiomyMeasure v

Copyriaht)

Received Monday, 11.26 a.m. WASHINGTON, 06t. 30. The Navy disclosed today . that the Defence Department ' Lad ordered it to withdraw 35 warshius and 42 auxiliary vessels from couw mission by July 1, 1950, to keep within the'rigid economy goal. The warships'were five aircraft carriers, six cruisers, 14 destroyers, nine submarines and nne des-troyer escort. * The economy programmq called for a 12 per cent. reduction in the Atlantic Pleet ana a 9 p&kcent; cut in the Pacific Fleet. . - i Mr. Louis J ohnson, the- Defence Secretary, has tehtatively ordered the following savings from the current Congressional appropriations: Navy, 350,000,000 doxlars; Army, 300,000,000 dollars; Air Force, 150,0,00,000 dollars. The impending reduction in the size of the fleet was one of the factors that prompted some senior naval officers to publicly attack the defence programme at hearings before the House Armed Services' Committee. Meanwhile, the appointment of a successor to Admiral Louis Dehfield as Chief of Naval Operations has been delayed to give Admiral Denfield time to decide if he will take one of the "important" new posts offered him.