Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-10-22

iSiel. and above all to pass thru the
locks of the Baltic canal. Germany.
therefore, can rot have ships of more
than $1,000 tons displacement For that
reason she is obliged to build ships Of
one type and one strength.
The Gazette goes on to argue that
there are many reasons for assuming
that squadron of this kind would be
superior in battle to a fleet of vessels
of various types, even If some ironclad
monsters We're included. Another con-
sideration Is that these enormous ves-
sells could not be formidable opponents
everywhere. The Gazette says: As
suming that our soundings in the North
sea and the Baltic are correct, the abili-
ty of such vast ships to maneuver would
be limited to those waters
The Times points out that these re-
Elections of the Cologne Gazette possess
certain political interest. as they re-
veal the considerations which are con-
stantly uppermost in the minds of Ger
man naval authorities. If such consid-
eraticrs as the Times suggests really
are uppermost in the minds of the Ger
man naval officers. the latter must have
found the comments of English newspa-
pers on the verdict of the court martial
into the loss of the torpedo boat de-
stroyer Cobra Very pleasant reading.
Every one. including the experts. in
dorses the rebuke of the court martial
of the admiralty for purchasing the
Cobra. 1t is generally stated that the
admiralty's parsimonious treatment OF
the contractors is responsible to a great
extent for the recent series of mishaps
to the torpedo boat destroyers.
These mishaps alone have been seri-
Gus enough to cause the uneasiness
which unquestionably exists In British
naval circles with regard to the de-
stroyer fleet, which the sailors have
nicknamed tin pots bur II the statistics
of the daily life of these delicate vessels
were published, the public would be
staggered. Every destroyer, according
to the official regulations. has a week
for repairs after a cruise in the fairest
kind Of weather. Moreover, when no
special mishap has occurred. a week Is
always required; but the repairs needed
which are not allowed for, and which
the looked upon SO complacently by the
officials, are far greater. Out of fleet
of some 113 torpedo boat destroyers, 1t
mas OcSu sstdtCds PuptlSiS. dSSdti <AAISA
again that over 30 per cent are always
laid up and unfit for service. while
many CT the others are more or less
crippled.
The Hon. Charles Parsons statement
before the court in regard to the de-
stroyers in which he said they were
merely fair weather craft, has aroused
a storm of criticism. The Times. in an
editorial on the subject, says: THAT
torpedo boat destroyers can be built to
behave as ocean-going ships has been
proved by the fact that British-built de-
stroyers have gone to Japan on their
own bottoms, altho they encountered
heavy weather on the way"
The reference to the British-built de-
stroyers for Japan touches the admiral-
tvs chief mistake The firm which built
many of Japan's destroyers practically
sends its whole output abroad. for the
simple reason that the terms and con-
iitions of the British admiralty can not
be complied with ii similar vessels are
to be supplied to them.
When parliament reassembles, there
fore the government will be faced with
the question of the navy, in addition to-
the army scandal. unless what Lord
Rcsebery described the other day as the
national self -complacence" has reAs-
serted itself by that time.