COMEDY OF DREADNOUGHTS

New Zealand Herald, Volume L, Issue 15482, 13 December 1913, Page 2 (Supplement)

COMEDY OF DREADNOUGHTS

i SOUTH AMERICAN RIVALRY. SEQUEL IN EUROPE. i Cheat interest was aroused by the recent ' announcement that the battleship Rio do ; Janeiro, which was being built at the I Elswiek Shipbuilding yard was for sale. I A statement has been published in .111 English paper covering the history of the I battleship episode. Behind the declaraI tion of the Brazilian Government of its I intention to sell, to the highest bidder, the splendid battleship is an interesting little comedy, and we are now about to witness whit may prove to be a (somewhat tragic sequel, says the writer. Four years ago, when relations between Argentina and Brazil were the subject ol ! lose attention on the part of both Go vernments, it was decided, first by one and then by the other, to strengthen their navies. The Brazilian Government gave an order, definite as to two Dreadnoughts, provisional as to another. The result was that the Argentina GoI vernment % also appointed a naval commis- ! sion to prepare plans for new battleships. Towards the end of 1909 tenders were re reived lor the construction of two battleships from the leading shipbuilders of the United States, France, Germany, Italy, i and Great Britain. Competition was extremely keen, and the lowest possible prices were quoted in I every case, in full knowledge of the conI ditions under which the contract would i be placed. The American yards at the I moment were threatened with the neeev 1 j sity of discharging large numbers of men, I owing to the reduction of the Naval Department's programme by Congress, It was determined to make a special effort to secure the contract, and diplomatic pressure was brought to bear, in a. quite pleasant fashion, that in no way offended the Argentine authorities. The result was that in February, 1910, the contract for both these ships was given | to the Fore River Shipbuilding Company, of Quincy, Massachusetts. The price was very low. The announcement of the American success caused something like consternation among other armament firms, beuse, owing to the cost of labour in j ' America (which is 40 per cent, or 50 per cent higher than even the British rate of ! pay, which exceeds that paid on the Continent), observe]s were unable to understand how the contract could represent | oven a moderate margin of profit. But 't was concluded that there were special rea- j eons why this American firm was willing ! to build the two ships at a price which I European concerns regarded as repre- j senting practically no margin of profit even for them. At any rate, the contract was placed- j and the Fore River Company arranged with the New York Shipbuilding Coin ! pany, of Camden, New Jersey, to build I one of the ships. In these conditions ar- j raiigements were made to carry out llm i contract, which represented a' sum of ; nearly four and a-half millions sterling. I It is now reported that the Argentine : Government, for reasons which need not I be specified, are not taking over the ships. i As soon as this news reached Brazil. I which is suffering from temporary finan- | rial embarrassment, the Government oi 1 that Republic reconsidered the naval sit-1 uation, and have decided that, while it I cannot repudiate, even if it had tho wish, j its bargain with Messrs. Armstrong, Whit- j worth, and Co., for the construction of the Rio de Janeiro, the third of their Dreadnoughts, which was launched in January last, it could with advantage sell this ship, if any other Power came along , which was willing to. pay a sum 1 representing a profit, stneo owing to the action ; of Brazil, a battleship was no longei ur- , gently "required. The Rio de Janeiro, although very . powerfully armed, carries only 12in guns, 1 whereas ships now building for the Rn- | tish fleet, and others in early stages of , construction for Continental navies, have ( 15in guns. As the Argentine naval deve- , lopment was apparently likely to b° con-- i eiderably delayed, it was determined to . seizo the opportunity to try to pass on, , at a profit, the Rio de Janeiro to some ' country in more immediate need of naval . reinforcements, and to lay down an even , more powerful vessel— some future £ date. ] This ends the story of the little comedy ,' as between the two South American Re- j publics. The sequel is no less interesting. As soon as it became known that this very powerful ship was in the market, < negotiations were opened by Turkey, < which, in the existing political circum- i stances, feels herself in need of more naval power as quicky as she can secure * it. The Turkish representatives no sooner took action than they found that Greece, too, was a bidder for this vessel, that [ State being equally desirous of securing } as soon as possible a large armoured ship . of the maximum strength. Neither country, after the war, is, of course, in a position to afford such a luxurybut that is a matter that does not arise in this connection. It is now stated that the Prussian Government, having learnt of the overtures by these two Powers, in the destiny of both of whom she is more or less interested, has herself entered the market, but whether as a firm bidder or not is uncertain. Such is the story of the latest phase of the naval competition between the two ' great and prosperous Republics of South America.