AMERICA'S'NAVAL PROGRAMME.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 213, 2 June 1908, Page 4

AMERICA'S'NAVAL PROGRAMME.

THE PRESIDENT, AND HIS POLICY.

i In charactori'sticaily strenuous fashion (writes ; ; ; tho. ( American correspondent of the. Sydnoy i, "Heral<] rt ) tlio President has'thrown upon Congress for a decision as to wheth'firtHero-shall bo authorised this year two or four jnoro first-class battleships. Tho President advocated four, but. Congressmen are certain that two aro enough—for ; the "present—and possibly President, at".liejir't l i''- , a^reos-with ; thom. For this .iiiyear when not only a President'but' also alf;membofs of tho Lower and one-third ,of Houso are to be olectwl,:,,and. nothing,.helps a candidate quite so-'Aucn H 'as : 'W'bA 'alilc to point to buildings' and harbours and roads given to. his dis-' trict tho, genoral purse.. So, instead of tho' 1 tivo''- additional'- 1 ten-million • ships that tho country, .wisely . buy,; thero will bo twenty millions' worth more how voted of post offices, docks, and Custom houses; and y the candidates favoured by tho ;\Vhito-"'Houso- will'''probably 'in tho end 1 got benefit of this diversion of funds. If Congress believed that tho dangers, so 'graphically * doscnbecl by tho Prosident, really imponded, not only four but 40 vessels would be voted. But, as .all,, parties ,to tho controvorsey think,;; the .of a in.jparVupon'the' tonnage missiles,"'arid tho rest ris the guns", - tho men' who work ; thSishi®!tlio 'living", potential and the. fleet; 'that. really can .-.safely, be -; ac 7 i cordcxlAo^tnci'ErifislteNav.y,. because : .in 'the.'' larger?vi'ow"6*fit. would',be' sheer in!.Sates • to. : -lose,. ev^en' ,temporaMl®'it'EfS!frg<Bt 'and _most profitable; market, onr for Great Britain to starve its poopleiiats homeland; throw,. Canada, ..under.: attack. - ' And as "to. oyrai 'Admiral' Dowqy:,jind tho'mostwearhiistsbfithc friends of agreater iiavy do, not 'oven protend to bo in doubt. In,' ; .both in the Seriate and .Houso,, .stress, in ,j) ( very bittor.way has been laid u{wn tlio'.stem" fact that but for tho help or'fofreigff'-Treiijhfc ships, thd fleot would havo beon (ioallossj l foodlcss, helpless. No doubt, -y>o great tonnago of American. Bhips on-, tho .inland lakes,..could, in case of need, lia'vo boon utilised, and tlio storms of these :waters'iii'o''ft6rcfir "aftd moro to bo feared than thftsd of tho-great ocean; but the country will, never, bo satisfied until it can point Stoias :jne)tsantilo navy on the high 'seas as, it possesses'on theso inland'and coast 'waters'. "Tor' several;years to.como, however, W' forrall" the'' , tifh6' since tho Civil War, 'every (lollar'saved' can be invested to greater profit atrhomo,on;'tho land than in building 'sea-going ships. _ By laws well within any 'existing or possibl6 treaties, a', division of jthb ocesvn freighting trade might' easily, oven Jnow, bo forcpd>; but only, at tho coat of what is J much moro important—internal develop'mont. , Naturally;, and very, properly, tho 'President has risked for absohito naval so-' curity, but if-ho- had been sitting in tlio •Houso' TasVoneUambn'g .3.80 othor, r.cprpsonta:tives'diK;;:>v6iild?pr6bably.liavo voted to. trust a littlo to fortune, and to let the money p to whoro iti will Vdol;the most good;" In the 'doliato it came out;, incidentally that of the ! 1,200;000;000 dbllaVa:; spent upon tho. navy in" tho seven*'years.;-of.. tho present century, one-fourth—3oo.ooo,ooo dollar*;—had been piit'inft now""sh'ipsj ; and the rest had gone for maintenance. .