Wairarapa Daily Times [Established Over 50 Years.] FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1927. CRUISER PROGRAMME.

Wairarapa Daily Times, 16 December 1927, Page 4

Wairarapa Daily Times [Established Over 50 Years.] FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1927. CRUISER PROGRAMME.

“There could not be a more significant gesture towards the United States,’’ is the opinion of the “New York Times” on the British Government’s announcement of the curtailing of the British cruiser programme. In effect, the British Government stays its hand from the already authorised programme of four 10,000 ton cruisers, and is making only a modest beginning upon that for seven 8000-ton ships. This would leave the British Navy with five 10,000 tonners —or with seven for the Imperial Navy, including the two Australian vessels of (lie same class. Of these seven, four are already commissioned or about to be commissioned in the fleet; a fifth, the Kent, is due to be banded over in January next; and the Australian ships Australia and Canberra are to be ready by February. The proposed two new 10,000-ton ships for this year are struck out. The United States programme provides for the building of eight 10,000 tonners. Last vear’s estimates included appropriations for five of these, already begun, so that three more have been added to the programme. The appropriation was deemed quite insufficient by the United States Navy Department, which, it was announced, was preparing demands for a five years’ programme of “three or four cruisers annually.” This demand would entail the provision of twelve more 10,000 tonners; and these “A-class” ships (to adopt the British Admiralty’s classification) would, with the ten fine 7500-ton cruisers already afloat, give the American Navy a cruiser strength of 80 modem ships. Against, this the British Empire Navy would have, even if the full programme were carried out, only 24. In the “B-elass” cruisers of modern type, the American ships of 7500 tons carry 12 6-inch guns against the two Emeralds, of 7550 tons, which carry only seven of that armament. But American cruisers are traditionally more heavily armed than our own, and it is said that in their new 10,-000-ton ships they have contrived to mount two more eight-inch guns than any other nation has worked into the Washington-stan-dard design. The Japanese design is, however, not yet certainly known.