Giving evidence before the Committee which is conducting hearings on the Vinson Navy Bil which would increase the strength of the United States Navy by a flat twenty per cent, Admiral Leahy urged that the proposed 22 ship auxiliary authorizations be increased by another ten even if it meant the reduction of one destroyer tender, repair ship. or submarine tender from the construction programme.
Admiral Leahy said the Navy's most urgent need was an increase in naval patrol planes and tenders.
"The number of tender based petrol planes considered necessary in the Pacific is 428," Admiral Leahy told the Committee. "Of these 342 should be operating planes with 86 spares."
A naval spokesman in a high position to-day said that it was "a very good guess" that the United States would mount 15-inch guns on its battleships it Japan does not disclose her building plans.
Advocates of the big guns claim they will sink anything afloat while the group opposed to the 1&Inch rifles point out that such heavy atmament will decrease the speed of vessels carrying them, will limit the number of guns which can be carried and will involve extensive changes in ship design.—United Press,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.