The daily morning journal and courier., 1903-09-05
JAPAN AND RUSSIA.
The Respective Navy and Military Ar 4 :. maments of Those Powers.

The Respective Navy and Military Ar j maments of Those Powers.
 Within the past few months the ten
 sion in the Far East between Japan
 and Russia has greatly increased, and there is some danger that Japan may be forced to take active measures to
 assure her position. The danger lies In
 the fact that, as was pointed out in a
 memorandum drawn. up by a number
 of Japanese professors and presented to
 the Japanese government, Japan's
 forces are slightly superior at this mo-
 ment to the Russian, both on land and on sea, but that within the next twelve months that advantage will pass for ever from her. '..-...'.. The Russian fleet, on the station, on
 which much depends at present, con- sists of the battleships Retvisan, Po-
 bieda, ~Pereviet, Sevastopol, Poltava
 and Petropavlosk, all six comparatively
 new ships, we'll armed and of the first
 class. The arnored cruisers on the sta-
 ton are the Gromovol, of modern type,
 and the Rossia and Rurik, of older
 pattern. There. are six modern fast
 protected cruisers and between twenty
 and thirty destroyers and torpedo
 boats. - E' ;sf
 This fleet is, therefore, very fornid-
 able one. It has been assiduously prac-
 ticed and trained-indeed, the perpetual
 shooting has awakened the suspicion
 of manu neutrals in the Far East and
 has led them to conjecture that Rus
 sia means war. It's gunnery is report- ed to be exceptionally good. and 1t is stated in confirmation of this. is Mir. Jane's new issue of his invaluable "All rhe Worlds Fighting Ships" that in the Russian navy the officers undertake ehe aiming of the gun, which means Careful and scientific fire. . F
 The Russian navy has never been se- iously tested at sea, but there is every
 'eason to think that 1t would give a good account of itself. Tactics and strategy are we'll taught, and there Is, of course, proper intelligence depart- ment and general staff, SO that the organization is up to date. The ships are very good indeed and reflect sound conceptions of the needs of war. Under orders for the Far East, as soon as they can be got ready, or in one or two cases actually on the way out, are no less than five new battleships and an armor- ed cruiser. -..,.- > The battleships are the Osslabia, Tsarevitch, Borodina, Orei and Suvarov, all modern and extremely formidable vessels. The three last are still incom-@ plete, but it is hoped that they wil be got away before the closing of the Bal tic next winter, and every nerve is be- ing strained to attain that object. The armored cruiser Bayan, which is in ser- vice, is also going out. With the arri- val of these vessels and of a large num- Der of new destroyers and smaller cruis- CTS Russia will have eleven battleships, two good armored cruisers, about ten serviceable protected cruisers and thir- ty or forty torpedo craft. The possess sion of this force will render her su- perior to Japan alone; much superior to; who has not been building up to the mark of late years and has no absolutely new battleships on the Far Eastern station, and not much behind the two powers combined on that sta- ton.
 The Japanese fleet will receive no such additions. AS it stands to-day, so it will stand year hence. It consists of six battleships, two of which are now growing old and are distinctly inferior to the Russian ships in fighting quail ties: six good and modern arr1ored cruisers, for all practical purposes as as battleships; four very fast cruisers and a large number of l smaller cruisers and torpedo craft. The l of this fleet is above re- | proach; there is a general staff, so that | t is up to date and not behind the times, like our own naval organization; the men are well trained and of un- 1 matched bravery; the officers are good | md of fighting stock. The whole fleet | 1ibrates with zeal and enthusiasm, and |