BRITISH NAVY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LIV, 22 March 1921, Page 5

BRITISH NAVY

CO.MR ARISON WITH JARAN’S A REMARKABLE SI’KKCH (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright) (Australian & N.Z. Cable Association) LONDON, March 19. In a n'liiarkable speech on the Navy estimates in the House of Commons, Commander Carlyou Bellairs, a prominent naval expert, said the Japanese yards were working 24 hours a day in order to rapidly complete warships. Her naval personnel now equalled Germany's in 191-1. Britain would have all her work cut out to maintain a substantial margin over Japan. He thought it would he impossible soon to put pre-war Dreadnoughts into line with post-Jutland battleships. For instance the Ameri can Indiana was inliiiitely superior to the Queen Elizabeth—indeed, the disparity was far greater than between Dreadnoughts and pre-Dreadnoughts, If Britain sent tho Hood and four new battleships to tho Pacific by 1921 she would have only five post-lutlar,ds against Japan’s eight. Unless we laid down more we would have by 1925 only five post-Jutland vessels against Japan’s eleven. Assuming that Japan did not hasten her programme Lord Jcllicoo’s stipulations in smaller ships would he eclipsed. He asked for 40 destroyers—Japan would have 80. Ho asked for 30 submarines—Japan would have 80. Commander Bellairs said iiis information was to the -effect that Japan was able to complete ships earlier than tho date fixed in. her programme Her great shipyard companies had agreed to build battleships in 20 months, cruisers hi eleven, destroyers in live, provided they got material. Japan was paying probably ten millions sterling for a battleship. Japan reckoned the life of a post-Jutland ship at eight years. Tims, with renewal and cost of maintenance, dockyards, and auxiliaries, each ship would cost two millions year ly when the programme was completed. ‘T cannot get it out of my mind that a purely military nation, instead of facing the cost of replacement, will bring about a war at tier selected time. Certainly ibis a grave danger. Wp must cither face competition or bring about an agreement by peaceful persuasion. America and Britain can say that Japan’s building must stop. We do not want to adopt Lord Fisher’s suggestion in tho early days of Germany’s building and threaten .la-pan with war, but we are entitled to say that Japan shall got no steel for war purposes.' At any rate, we can say that Britain held up battleship construct ion for six years, and the responsibility for a naval race-' rests with the United States.”