New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1901-07-11

~ re PROPOSED TO EXPEND $4,000, 900
MORE On THE NAVY IN 1902
THAN THIS YEAR.
Paris, June 25.

a,o1,y proposed to be S62 100000 which at
g.. sight seems TO be So. 100000 less than In
,or but IL IL is taken into account that the
-, Of maintaining the marine infantry and
,,tery amounting to about 5,4OO, 600, has
-, transferred from the Navy to the Minis
.des OF War and the Colonies, it is found that
=. money that France intends to spend unon
,hs navy during 1902 is in reality 50, 100000 IN
xcxs of the naval expenses of the current
= year.
tits matter of serious consideration for the
french whether they are not spending upon
their navy more than their national resources
vsrant France has now piled I'D a debt IN
yolving annual charge for interest of nearly
saO0OO0000, or, in other words every man
roman and child in France has now to nav 81
ny annum for interest on the national debt
The army costs the country 1882, 600, 600 a year.
aad the total expenditure for 1902, as already
csbled 10 The Tribune, is officially proposed to
r. S1200000O0. Moreover reflections upon the
French census cause renewed uneasiness Last
March the population in round numbers was
100000. being an increase of only 100000
Once 1896. and even this meagre result is mostly
accounted for by Paris and its suburbs, where
the increase has been 292 600. due principally
10 foreign immigration. so that in the rest of
France the population has been augmented bv
only $4,000 during the last five years That is
10 say for military and naval purposes the pop
nation is almost stationary and in this respect
France stands alone among the great nations
Of Europe. In these days of universal conscrip-
ton for the army the navy the balance OF
numbers on either side of the land frontier Is
Of vital importance. and no Chauvinist in France
can any longer blink at the fact that the Ger
man census of 1900 counted a population ex-
ceedlng 56,000.000 or practically half as large
again as that Of France
Under these conditions NJ. Jaures the Social
ist leader. and many advanced thinkers among
the Radicals and Radical Socialists hold that il
is impossible for France to possess at the same
tine navy and an army OF the first rank
simply because she has not the resources of men
and money TO maintain both. One or the other
must eventually be sacrificed. Which shall 1t
be? There be no doubt If the question
we're thus put to the country. that there would
not be the slightest hesitation in replying the
navy. Nevertheless the French Chambers sane
toned the formidable naval construction plans
OF 1900. which supply the keynote of the French
naval policy for the next three years. and
which make retrenchment impractica BILE.
Those who wish to France compete with
England in naval construction invariably quote
the remark of the old French Admiral La
main essentially land power we shall always
have Europe and England against US but if
We become sea power of the first order we
shall have Europe with US against England"
There is still no lack Of Anglophobia in France,
but the French taxpayer is beginning to get
nquisitive under the crushing fiscal burdens
that have accumulated during the last twenty
years, and listens nowadays TO Radical orators
who say that France does require a navy
assure her food supply, for even I'm war
rance feed herself.
Notwithstanding these considerations. the
opinion in parliamentary circles is that the
naval budget for 1902 viii be adopted by the
Chamber, and viii even be increased by sup
Elementary legislation. Among the heads of the
naval budget which show increased expenditure
are construction of ships and cost of new guns
The old system Of coastguard ships has been
abandoned, and this enables two reserve divi-
fions to be formed. each comprising three bat
neships and a cruiser. One of these new divi-
sions has been added to the Mediterranean
squadron, and the other division forms part Of
the northern squadron. rear admiral is
placed in command Of the Pacific division, which
has hitherto been commanded by captain and
notwithstanding the termination OF the crisis in
China, vice-adnliral is placed permanently at
the head of the French naval forces In the
extreme East. These changes increase the num-
Der OF officers service and increase the
number OF bluejackets afioat from 1879 to
Nl0l Squadron expenses are Increased from
100000 to s5.s00Oo0.
In 1902 the ships that viii be completed and
make their trial trips will be two battleships
seven armored cruisers and a first class cruiser.
This makes formidable addition to the ef-
'ectiTe strength of the navy. involving addi-
aonai expenditure for equipment and artillery,
shich is put al Sc 100000, instead of 5000 600
Which sufflces for the current year. There has
oeen general breaking up or selling of obsolete
f unseaworthy ships. and the Minister reports !
nat all the vessels now attached to fleets or
ssuaorons on active service are new or at least
are Of very modern date"
The sum set apart for naval construction In
1862 lie s24 800 600 of which S1S.O70000 is for
aging down ships. a novel feature in the
naval budget for 1902 is that for the first time
special category is made for the ships built
N accordance with the construction programme
1886. that each days progress toward its
''npleton can be readily followed and COM
pared with each days expenditure. Up to the
present sixty-nine vessels provided for by the
Naval Construction act of 1900 have been be-
gun OF these there are two battleships, three
esmored cruisers, twenty torpedo boat destroy
RE twenty-one torpedo boats and twenty three
submarine vessels. The large vessels provided
w by the Naval Construction act of 1900, anG
sAich have not yet been laid down in the yards.
ae Tour battleships and two armored cruisers
'ae construction Of these six fighting units"
scording 10 the budget, will begin in 1902
sha be completed IN 1906.
"a short, the naval budget for 1902 denotes
Ast the French to hasten the construc-
u'n provided for by the law OF 1900, the pro-
ssinfne OF which has hitherto been getting
~0fe backward from year TO year. There Is