The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-12-14
WILL SOON Be |NV|NC|BLE
so SAYS SECRETARY LONG OF
JAPAN'S NAVY.
Condition of Americas Navy-Annual
Report by the Secretary-Rapid Adj
vance as q Marine Power.

y
of the Navy, John ID. Long, was made
public last week. He states that the
present effective fighting force of the
navy consists of four battle ships Of
the first class, two battle ships of the
second class, two armored cruisers,
sixteen cruisers, fifteen gunboats, one
dispatch boat, one transport steamer
and five torpedo boats. There are I'M
der construction five battle ships Of
the first class, sixteen torpedo boats,
and one submarine boat. There are
sixty-four other naval vessels, includ-
ing those used as training, receiving
and naval reserve ships, tugs, disused
single turreted monitors and some UNI
serviceable craft.
There is, further, the auxiliary
craft fleet. This fleet consists first Of
more than twenty subsidized steamers
which comply with the requirements
of the postal act of March 3, 1891, in
regard to their adaptability to naval
service and to an armament of main
and secondary batteries: second, of n
much greater number of merchant
marine steamers which can be awaited
of at any time of need.
These auXiliaries. ranging from 1000
to $4,000 tons, will, of course, if occa-
sion requires. form a formidable fleet
of steam cruisers, capable of swift at
tack upon an enemy's commerce.
Their great coal capacity will also en-
able them to remain long at sea in
search of the whereabouts of hostile
vessels.
The country is to be congratulated,
says the secretary of the navy, upon
the results obtained in the rebuilding
| of the navy. While its ships are not
so many, and it is not necessary that
they should be, they are, in power,
| speed, workmanship and offensive and
defensive qualities, the equals of YES
sells built anywhere else in the world.
With the exception of the five bat
! tie ships, the vessels under construc-
| ton should be completed during the
coming year.
After reviewing the naval programs
of the principal foreign powers, Sec
rotary Long says of Japan:
The most striking feature of naval
progress abroad is that of Japan. She
already ranks next to England and
| France in the extent of her naval
building. She had added during the
|
battle ships built in England. and her
program for the future will render
her by the year 1902 the strongest ma
val power in the Pacific ocean.
Other extracts from his report are:
Additions to our fleet may be here
after necessary to bring it i'm case OF
emergency to an extent commensu.
rate with the growing necessities OF
the country, especially in view of the
development of Alaska which is a con
tinent in itself, and of the possible
annexation of Islands in the Pacific
On the other hand, it is a mistake not
to recognize that our naval power has
more than doubled within the last
few years; that the case of emergen.
cy beyond our present resources is the
very rare case; that until it comes
ships will be gradually taken out Of
commission and put into reserve in or
der to reduce running expenses, and
that due regard is necessary to the
relation of national expenditures to
the national revenues.
| Secretary Long estimates the eX.
penses of his department for 1898 al
$19,S37, 153, and for 1899 at $22, 1872, 72S
and continues:
According to the reports of the pay
master general the total cost of main
tanning the navy during the fiscal
year ending June 30, 1896, exclusive
of its increase and permanent i'm.
provement at yards and stations es,
pecially provided for. was SIS, 494, S62
and that for the fiscal year ending
June 80, 1897, $17,514,231.