NAVAL SURPRISE FOR THE WORLD.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18393, 20 February 1928, Page 10

NAVAL SURPRISE FOR THE WORLD.

GERMANY PREPARING OBSERVERS DECLARE. By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright. Aus. and N.Z. Ca-ble Association. BERLIN. February 18. That Germany is preparing a great naval surprise for the world is an authoritative opinion based on astounding figures contained in the 1928 Naval Budget. These involve the mystery of millions of pounds for which no adequate explanation is forthcoming. These disclosures are made by the “Berliner Tageblatt,” a newspaper of sound opinion, and one usually well informed on naval matters. Some idea of the amazing figures may be gathered from the fact that the British man-o’-war Nelson, of 35.000 tons, the most powerful ship afloat, cost Britain £7,000.000, whereas a 10,000-ton ship projected by Germany is provisionally estimated at £4.000,000. The new cruisers are costing the enormous rate of £2OO per ton. exclusive of guns. It is interesting to note that ordinary merchantmen cost from £lO to £ls per ton. Liners de luxe such as the Majestic cost £SO per ton. More startling still is the cost of the new torpedo boats, restricted by the Peace Treaty to a displacement of 800 tons. Twelve of these are being constructed, costing £215 per ton. This figure is more remarkable in view of the fact that they are unarmoured, and of simpler construction than battleships. The only possible inference is that the boats are unique, and contain some mysterious feature of the greatest interest to foreign naval constructors. Equally mysterious is the prodigious cost of the guns and torpedo tubes with which the vessels are being armed. The “Berliner Tageblatt” recalls that before the war a 5000-ton cruiser complete cost £500,000, yet for one new cruiser £750,000 is being appropriated for armaments alone. A further example is given. Six destroyers, with three four-inch guns each, are costing £25,000 per gun. In addition the Naval Department is pressing for heavy guns for a new 10,000-ton cruiser, to cost the fabulous figure of £300,000 for each gun. Another example of the mysterious figures is the new cruiser Karlsruhe. The original estimate was £1,425,000. It has now grown to £2,025,000. Berlin authorities do not offer Any explanation beyond asserting that the 1 cost of construction in Germany is not appreciably higher than elsewhere. The naval correspondent of the “Daily Telegraph” also features figures in which he points out that Germany has the most expensive navy in the world. He supports his argument in this way: The German naval personnel is 15,000. There are nine battleships and cruisers, and several tor-pedo-boats, together with six small coast defence detachments. The Budget is £11,000.000. The Italian Navy has a personnel of 45,000, three times as many ships, a powerful aviation service and elaborate coastal defence. The Budget is £10,000,000. The French Navy personnel is 57,000, with ships and aviation equivalent to tjie Italian force. The Budget is £12,000.000. It is also pointed out that Italy and France, with the same lavishness as Germany, would be spending yearly £33,000,000 and £42,000,000 respectively, while a similar scale of cost in the British, American and Japanese navies would baffle calculation.

The correspondent adds that these figures are certain to be discussed, and undeniably lend colour to reports in circulation in Europe regarding developments by German scientists of mysterious new naval weapons of unprecedented power and efficiency. Whether or not this is the true explanation remains to be seen.