Washington, Jan. 26.
The eagerly-awaited defence and maw message of President Roosevelt is not ready and will not be sent to Congress until the end of the week or the beginning of next week, accarding to an announcement made by the White House to-day. A "few days ago, the Chief Executive intimated that the message would be ready on January 24 or 25.
The announcement to-day has occasloned reports that pending a clarification of the intentions of other Powers, notably Japan and Great Britain, the Administration is not entirely satisfied regarding the size of battleships it should recommend.
There also appears to be some nervousness over how Congress will receive what amounts to rearmament.
The War Department is also rake ing last-minute efforts to obtain an increase in the appropriations for the Army.
It is understood that President Roosevelt has paved the way for the acceptance of his programme by Congress in a talk with Congressional leaders yesterday, but it is expected that when the naval increases come up for debate in Congress, isolation ists will subject the Administratior foreign policy to considerable snip-Fat thst ing, particularly in regard to the The extreme opposition is not expected io accept the naval increases as they stand, but isolationists will press for a clear statement concerning what menace, particularly, makes the building of more warships neces-
Naval experts here predicted that eventually, unless the naval race is some way halted, the major powers would engage in a scramble for enormous warships ranging up to 60,- 000 tons and costing at least US. $25,000,000. A race to build strong forces of 43,000-ton vessels is regarded as a certainty and the drive for 60,000-ton warships is expected to begin within five years unless new limitations are agreed upon.
Britain to-day made her bid for naval supremacy with extensive plans for replacement and strengthening of her powerful Navy.
Five ships of the George V class already have been laid down and five additional capital warships to be constructed under the 1938-39 building programme ate expected to bring Britain's naval might above 2,000,000 tone. At the end of another year's construction, the British fleet Would ineMide seventeen battleships in addition to the five now under way, ten aircraft carriers, 80 cruisers, 200 destroyers and more than 60 Submarines if present plans are carried out,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.