Passed by the House last week was a $6,237,000,000 appropriation bill, of which the Navy gets the largest slice: $5,595,000,000almost four billion of it for air. Main item is $2,862,000,000 for 14,600 airplanes, assuring the Navy of its 27,500 "program airplanes" early in 1944. About $36,000,000 is for 72 blimps, raising the blimp patrol total to 120.
In addition, the bill gives the Navy the right to enter into contracts amounting to $9,500,000,000 for vessels authorized last July: 500,000 tons of aircraft carriers, 500,000 tons of cruisers, 900,000 tons of destroyers and destroyer...