Six New Shallow-draft Gunboats for Upper River to Keep Desperadoes in Order From Rodney Peking, Apr. 2 A recent despatch from Ameri ea, quoted by various news agon-the disappointing that the Unite Government had reduced ral appropriation for river gunboats in China so that, instead of six shallow draft boats for the upper river, the Yangtse patrol was to get. two only.
Later advices have happily proved that this is too gloomy an Interpretation of what happened in legislative circles in Washington. The appropriation, it would Appear, was not reduced bythe Appropriations Tongress, but wax rejected alt ether because the appeal for funds to by new boats had not come from the proper routine source. The bill "should have massed through the Navy Com-tice and been endorsed by it beg] for going to the Appropriations Ce rmmittee. Through. some over tht the Navy Committee, which wholeheartedly pledged to six new gunboats, was not given an opportunity to pass Upon the bill, ay it was rejected Guite properly, but, purely as a matter of form, by the Approprin-
Not only is it, likely that si new boats will be built for the up-Per river, out there is now hope Of getting a 60-foot motor patrol boat. lightly. but effectively. armed, for the Chungking-Suifu run, Since trade is pushing further west and. the need of adequate protection travelling with) it When these new: ships have arrived the shallow draft boats now fon the upper Yangtze will be sent tothe West tiver and the tro mine-sweepers which are ing fitted up as gunboats but draw too much water for the vers will he added to the, coast-ise patrol.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.