YANKEE “PRESTIGE.”

Grey River Argus, 13 January 1928, Page 5

YANKEE “PRESTIGE.”

ENHANCED BY NAVY. .Wilbur “Lets ths Cat Out.” SMART LUOAlisd MODEKii CRUISERS’ TO BUILD UP TRADE ABROAD.’ WASHINGTON, Janua.y 11. Mr. Wilbur, before the House Naval Affairs Committee, received that the eight hundred milion dollars building programme he recommended to Congress, was drafted as a five years' programme for the immediate needs of the Navy. It was regarded only as a start. He recommended an additional twenty years’ programme of building and replacement, which should provide fortythree 10,000-ton cruisers, additional submarines and destroyers. Mr. Wilbur emphasised that the five years’ programme meant no competitive building. It was not proposed to meet the building programmes of other nations. He explained, however, that this brought the United .States Navy well within the equality of the ratio fixed by the Washington Conference, as compared with Great Britain, and slightly above the fivethree ratio with Japan.”

Mr. Wilbur cited the insistence of Great Britain at Geneva for her need of increased., tonnage, regardless of that of other Powers, as persuasive evidence of the United States’ need for increased cruiser tonnage. Also, that such a programme for the United States was in no sense competitive, to which Mr. Coolidge is said to be oposed. He said that the programme was simply based on the needs of tke United States Navy, and determined by the Naval Technical Board. It would cost the United States a billion dollars to build cruisers to the limit set by Britain. He said that ships built under the twenty years’ programme^ - represented a conservative estimate of the acfual protective needs. To build enough immediately would be too great a burden on the nation’s peace time activities, but if a twenty’ years* programme was carried out, with a reasonable burden placed on tho Government, the danger of war would be greatly •minimisted. The United States needed fi “ first class navy.” Tho naval building programme was based on the Navy’s needs, in the same sense as the estimate of its needs for the protection of rhe public. A report, accompanying Air. Wilbur’s statement to the committee, said: “Smart looking modern cruisers create a prestige* that aids merchants and manufacturers in building up trade abroad, and the measure of comtrade abroad, and th emeasure of commercial success is influenced in no small degree by the prestige which up-to-date, smart looking ervisefs create and foster.”