Manila, Mar. 15.
Rear Admiral Thomas Hart, Commander-in-Chief of the United States Asiatic Fleet, said today he believed the Asiatic Fle& would remain in the Orient after the Philippines had been granted their independence.
In a speech at a meeting of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce he said the fleet would be necessary to protect United States interests and nationals in the Orient.
He did not state where the fleet would be based, however. There was considerable speculation in Manila as to whether the Philippines would offer the fleet a base. It would mean keeping the United States Navy here after independence has been realized.
Admiral Hart and his aides have been touring the islands on his yacht Isabel He will leave Cebu, probably today, for Mindanao.
The "Manila Bulletin" reported that the National Defence Department was planning to develop a strong Philippine merchant marine which could be used for military purposes in an emergency. The newspaper said the department was planning to enlarge the nautical school to include semi-military training—United Press.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.