NAVAL POWER

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume L, Issue 16425, 8 May 1924, Page 5

NAVAL POWER

THE AMERICAN AGITATION. (Elec. Tel. Copyright—Duited Press Assn.) (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) WASHINGTON, May 6. Interesting data, concerning the present naval building of the Washington Treaty Powers will be presented at a Congressional investigation on the American navy, whose alleged 1 deterioration President Coolidge is reported to have discounted as erroneous. The data shows that Japan's programme is the greatest, especially of high speed , light cruisers and destroyers. Britain's building tonnage is estimated! at 116,440, whereof 41,000 comprises the above types. 1 The United States' is of 64,496 tons, whereof 45.000 are of cruisers. Japan's is 178,065 tons, whereof 133,000 tons are in destroyers and cruisers. France's is 71,748," whereof 54,936 tons are _in destroyers and cruisers. The main competition involves light cruisers, wherein both England and the United States are deficient. England is the only Power building dreadnoughts. These figures will be used to convince Congress of the necessity of appropriating funds to build eight 10,000 cruisers. JAPAN'S STRONG NAVY. FIFTY-SEVEN' NEW VESSELS. In no other country has there been so great a volume of naval ship-building since l the Washington Conferencei as in Japan. The following list shows the light cruisers which have been laid down since January, 1922:—Sendi (5570 tons), begun February, 1922; Jintsuu (5570 tons), begun August, 1922; Yubari (3100 tons), begun June, 1922; Kinugasa, Kako, Aoba, Furutaka (7500 tons), begun April, 1923-Jenuary, 1924; Myoko (10,000 tons), begun January, 1924. Preparations are in train for starting work on the Nachi, a 10,000-ton cruiser, at Yokosuka, some time before next June, and two more 10,000-ton cruisers have been authorised for building in the fiscal year, 1925-26. Within the same period—during which neither Great Britain nor the United States has laid down a single light cruiser—Japan has begun or ordered 24 destroyers, averaging 1375 tons, and 22 submarines, with an average displacement of 1173 tons. In sum, therefore, Japanese naval construction since the Washington Conference embraces 11 light cruisers, 24 destroyers, and 22 submarines—s 7 vessels of war, with a total displacement t of 145,406 tons. Within the same period Great Britain has laid down one cruiser mine-layer, and the United States three submarines. . . In view of these comparative statistics of post-Conference warship construction, Japan's insistence on the necessity of observing, the spirit of the Washington Treaty, as well as its letter, seems rather forced. Japan, of course, is free to lay down as many "auxiliary" ships as she pleases, there! being no treaty limit to the number of these vessels which may be constructed by any signatory Power; but an analysis of Japan's current building programme helps to explain Australia and New Zealand attach So much importance to the completion of the Singapore project. Japan's post-Conierenee activity in submarine construction is revealed by the Admiralty return issued recently, which shows her to have 33 undersea boats building and projected, as against seven for Great Britain and' 11 for the United States, Owing to the reticence of the Japanese authorities on this point it is difficult to obtain precise information as to the number of boats laid down since the Washington Conference, but the frequent, reports in the Japanese press of the launch or trial trips of new submarines suggest that these vessels are being built with a haste which might almost be termed feverish. According to the Admiralty return, Japan has now 44 submarines built, with 33 building anclprojected-a total of ,77 boats, most of which are of ocean-going design. Considering that the total number of British, submarines, built "net building is only 68, the Japanese suggestion that this country, in proposing to construct a new dock at Singapore, was infringing the spirit of the Washington Treaty sounds rather grotesque.— London correspondent.