MORE DREADNOUGHTS

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1027, 17 January 1911, Page 5

MORE DREADNOUGHTS

AN ADRIATIC RACE. ITALY TO BUILD SIX SHIPS. By Telegraph—Press Association-Oopyrixht. Romo, January 15. Italy has finally decided to add two Dreadnoughts to the four previously arranged for, Italy and Austria—though both aro members of tho Triplo Alliance—appear to bo'having a contest for naval supremacy as a minor incident in tho, general European race for arms. The "Zeit," ' tho Well-known Vienna journal, stated recently that tho plans for four new Dreadnoughts of 24,00(1 tons displacement and armed with 12 millimetre guns, were under consideration in the Italian Ministry of Marine, and added, on the authority of an Austro-Huu-garian naval officer of high rank, that they would bo laid down ns soon as tho launch of the Conte Cavour, tho Leonardo da Vinci, and tho Giulio Cesaro set free the Dreadnought slips at Spezia, Leghorn, and Genoa. Tho slip at C-astel-lammaro had boon free sinco the launch of tho Danto Alighiori. Consequently, Italy may havo eight Dreadnoughts and Super-Dreadnoughts in commission by 1915. Theso ships, together with the four 12,700-ton battleships of. tho Rcgina Elena class, and two 13,500-ton sister vessels of the IJegina Margherita. type, tho threo 13,900-ton Cicilias, not to mention tho older battleships and seven highly modem cniiscrs, will, argues the "Zeit," givo Italy a superiority at sea so overwhelming that Austria-Hungary cannot hope .for success in an encounter with tho Italian fleet unless, every effort is made promptly to develop the Austro-llungar-ian Navy.' Without dwelling upon tho unfortunately commonplace anomaly that ono felly should think it needful to develop its navy against the navy of another'ally, .it may be observed (wrote "Tho Times" correspondent at Vienna) that Italy t has three times as loiig a coast, to defend as Austria-Hungary, and has, moreover, to consider Transatlantic interests to which Austria-Hungary possesses no counterpart.. If Austro-Hungarian military and naval men feel to-day bound to reckon with tho land and sea forces of Italy as' with those of ft probable enemy, . they might, in their candid moments, ask themselves whether their own tactics during the last decade have been such as to engender in their Italian comrades an entire sense of security. Tho best feature of Count Aehrenthal s later "diplomacy has been its pronounced, albeit somewhat ostentatious, friendliness towards ' Italy. Could this diplomacy-acquire a depth'and substance corresponding to its superficies, the anxieties arising for the Governments and taxpayers of tho Dual Monarchy out of the Dreadnought and'cognato.questions would.be very appreciably diminished.