Washington, Apr. 27.
The United States government moved on three fronts yesterday to rush to completion President Roosevelt's $2,000,000,000 rearmament pro-designed to give America the largest Navy, most modern air force and best trained and equipped Army in the world.
In a surprise move, the Secretary it Congress io empower him to in-of War, Mr. Harry Woodring, asked
garate the Army command by lacing younger men' in the grades from Captain to Brigadier-General to replace over-age officers.
Mr. Woodring said he had not yet determined what should be considered as over-aged" for the various grades. He said the War Department also plans to advance younger men through new and rigid physical examinations in addition to the regular examinations. These will be-Come mandatory before June 30 for all officers above the rank of Captain, he said.
Meanwhile, President—Roosevelt signed the $549,000,000 War Depart-3|ment appropriations bill which ¢arries funds for the construction of almost 600 new fighting planes and bombers as part of the programme to build the air force up to 6,000 planes. The bill also provides for enlargement of the Army.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.