UNITED STATES NAVY.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 117, 10 February 1908, Page 7

UNITED STATES NAVY.

THE BUILDING PROGRAMME. . ■ REDUCTION PROM £15,000,000 TO' : : £8,000,000. .. '• .. : New York, February 7. : Owing to an. expected deficit and reduction in, revenue, it is understood that Mr.; iMotcalf, Secretary Unitod States Navy, must be content with. £8,000,000 -.instead of £15,000,OOQTifpr'othe building pro-! gramme of his department, and with two* now battleships" instead o/ four; •. ; ! America is 'sending .two moro submarines! to Manila, malting four in., all. ..Referring.'to the' Pacific, cruise of thq'United States ,-Nnvy,.- the. " J>!dn2on. (.Times" of, .Dccember'2o,'lßo7,' states:—; .j. President warm advocate of . the ' limitation of arnntm'ents';" nrid'.lie : ;Eeems for a time 't0... havQ-veri'tertaine'd - the dream that some'-'sueh- policy- might • meet with-.'.the.' approbation of the l^vqre,. Mr.. Roose-, velt did not suffer - any hopes'/of _this. ,land, : which ho may liavollah&ishfcd;"' activity in building up jtlio : :;nfi,vy,; and a few weeks. ago;-'- l'css 'I'tlian >two. monthsafter tho,. Confei-euc^^^fts^djss)ilved', l Yhe: laid; beforo the, Presidential Mes-; ssgo.a closely'roosoned argument for making! large additions to thoir .ilcet.------'Tho-'cruise' .which bogan yesterday.,'may looked upon! 'as a demonstration of- tne.;,Views iipQn'tliis.sub- : ! joct- whioh wero expounded'iti that'documont. . . . Mr. Roosovelt,-I)n.Va'firm grasp of whattho business of n fighting, fleet 'is./, It is not to lie off harbours and eoa3t towns in order to - protect . them.--."-It- is~",tO i protest! them, but to protect, them in "the; only efficient way;" aiTdtliat'-is-by destroying! the' fleets of the enemy!, which might, menace them.' That can be dpne ohly:>"by : : hard:, hit'-, tine,"- for, "parrying 5 i^yp\-/jet r )y - on..,!i'.;figlit;''! i.and an ."aggressive soa-going' navy". is--indiß--to .do this h'rfw'hiUMij. The'Pre'si-! dent knows, well demands.' for defonco. which ; war would •'bring from tho' coast towns, but, ho goys; "under, penalty if) terrible' disaster" they,'must- be refused. '"The; ships niust .be kept ! together;! and!-their, objective, must be . the' enemy's reason, Mr. : Roosevelt' argues, if tho ./fleet ..is; to 'go to the Pacific-nt;air:it'must, go: id. awhole.. , President RooseTolti. mea'nEi,' we "iip-'. gaine, to bring home toCiho..Ameriehn-people' that, if they want" toYfeafe - -biT?botK they must have fleets:, onmboth large enough' and powerful enough,,to „defend. them. It isa perfectly wholesome ; lejison,. but it itapora-; tively demands tho consideration .of all other' maritime nations with intereatsjn tho Atlantic; and the Pacific, and. chiefly,-of-oourse, the" very; close consideration of ourselves...,, j , Captain Hobsou recently, stated that 'PWi-i dent Roosevolt desirotf- that"jB10,000,000 be np-' ijropriated • annually f6i' : '. ; the building:of five Dreadnoughts. , '