Washington, Jan. 18.
Rear Admiral Samuel Murray Robinson, senior member of the Compensation Board of the Navy Department, testifying before the House Naval Affairs Committee yesterday, said that the Navy proposes to build 75 new destroyers in five years to meet the submarine threat of potential enemies.
"Our situation is somewhat like England's, he declared, "because we must retain control of the seas, but, unlike Germany's, where control of the seas is relinquished."
Admiral Robinson revealed that the Navy intends to increase the size of cruisers. He declared that if the expansion bill receives Congressional approval the-Navy intends to utilize it for 274,000 tons of cruisers. The authorization, he declared, would build about 19 vessels of varying size. This would mean an average of 14,420- tons per cruiser, or 44 per cent. larger than the present cruise:
Congressional circles understood that the Navy is planning some 20,000- ton cruisers mounting 14-inch guns.—United Press.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.