America Will Touch: Limits of Old London Treaty Washington, Aug. 4, It is officially announced tonday that the Navy Department will ask [Congress at the next session for funds fo bulld two new battleships and two light cruisers, the objective being to build up to the limit of the old London Naval Treaty and then "to follow a programme of replacement as vessels become over age.
The new battleships as well as the two others, the construction of which was authorized at this session, will replace the four oldest of the seven classified as over-age.
Rear-Adm, William, Leahy, chief of Naval Operations, who made the announcement, "did not indicate whether a complete replacement programme was. visaged, but said the Fleet would be maintained at the maximum of fiflecn battleships allowed under the old treaty, as it was at present Intended to retire obsolete ships as and when the new ones were constructed, The same programme added, applied to cruisers—Reuier
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.
