Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-14
DECLARED INCAPABLE.
Sensation in London Over
Naval Armament.
WIRE GUN CRITICISED
NEW TRANsvAAL CONSTITUTION
AGREEABLE TO DUTCH.
Many Fatal Motor Car Accidents Due
to Excessive Speeding-Notes
and Gossip.
Special Correspondence of The Star.

l special Correspondence OF Inc star.
LONDON. April Co. 1905.
| Considerable sensation has been caused
| by the assertion Of naval writer in the
| Daily Graphic that the .35 caliber 12-in.
Mark VIII wire gun, which constitutes the
| main armament of fifteen out Of the thirty
seven of Britains newest and most power
| full battle ships. is incapable of firing fifty
| full charges. and that the latest woolwich
| pattern six-inch .50-caliber wire gun has
| also failed under experiment. OF the former
| class there are seventy-five in use dis
| tributed to the following battle ships: Al
bton, Caesar, Campus, Glory, Goliath, Han
nibal, Illustrious, Jupiter, Magnificent, Ma
! 5estic, Mars, Ocean, Prince George, Ven
geance and Victorious. These vessels con-
| stitute the reserve Atlantic and China
| fleets
The writer also points out that Britain
| Is the only power which has adopted the
manufacture of the wire gun, and raises
| the question as to the endurance of the
armament of the whole of her modern feet.
The admiralty has issued denial of the;
truth of the statement but like many Of
fetal denials, it begs the whole question and
does not satisfy everyone. / have talked
with a few of those who know something
Of the facts and find that different opin-
ions are held by officers themselves One
| naval friend who gave me his views on
the subject expressed himself with much
common sense and moderation.
IF every charge that is made against
the British navy were true, it would surely
be-" he said, 1.-THE most inefficient in the
world. On the contrary it is, l think, ship
| for Ship efficient any. The recent
| failures Of the Triumph and the Swiftsure
go to prove this. Both these ships were
designed by Sir Edward Reed to be alb
| normally offensive, and their failure is just
the price of the light scantlings used. At
the admiralty they are not doing that sort
of hiner yonxr "a n,t6 dor n 10 " ont
The accumulated experience of the navy is
finding embodiment in ships whose offensive
and defensive powers are nicely balanced.
The case of the new battleship which is to
be built at Chatham shortly is in point.
Here turbines are to replace reciprocating
engines in order that the hull may be made
strong enough to bear eight or ten Pinch
guns
."The latest charge" continued my naval
friend sis that nearly half of the Pinch
guns in the navy, and all the WooiWlch
6-inch guns are of no more value than their
weight as scrap. This is the kind of charge
| that is usually made against the admiralty.
Obviously, however, it reflects more on the
gunmaker in this particular instance, be-
cause 1t really is tantamount to saying that
British gunmakers are ages behind the rest
of the world in their adherence to wire
guns. Of course, wire guns have their
| drawbacks, but the world already knows
| them. The gunmaker is doing what he can
i to remove them, and is removing them.
But is it the least likely that he would
persevere If the case were so hopeless as
| this latest critic makes out?
The great gunmaking companies are
| not as YOU know, dependent on voluntary
| contributions for their existence. They
| have to compete against the whole world
for business and actually no improve
ment on the wire gun would be too costly
for them to buy, and the fact that guns or
| the kind are in the most modern Jap
anese ships proves much. AS simple
| matter of fact, this latest gun scare comes
most untimely, for there never was
greater efficiency in the navy, and never
keener vigilance in regard to every de-
| tail of the service than Is practiceo al
present. If, instead of soaring the tax
payer these newspaper experts encour-
aged him to take more intelligent In
| terest in the affairs of the navy great ma
| tional good would accrue. The navy is
| not perfect, heaven knows, but 1t is
much more efficient arm than this latest
| anonymous critic makes out.
Outlook in the Transvaal.
| In conversation today with several rep
resentatiye South Africans who have re-
turned to town after the holidays con-
corning the outlook for the new Trans
vaal constitution learned that the pro-
mitigation of the scheme has been re-
ceived in this circle with chorus of ac-
clamation. The safeguards are reckoned
adequate and efectual. and the demo-
cratic elements are said to be calculated
| to conciliate the Dutch. The distinct sub
| clause which specifies that any person
who has been enrolled on the latest list
| of the burghers of the late South African
republic and entitled to vote for members
! of the first volksraad will be qualified for
| the franchise Is explained to me on the
ground that in the old Boer constitution
| il was stipulated that to be an elector one
must have reached the age or sixteen
years Seeing that burghers were born,
not often made, 1t is understood all liv-
ing burghers above this age limit will be
tod fn franchise. 1t Is stated
| that the maximum of thirty-fve repre-
sentatives will be required in order to
meet the needs of recent expansion In IN
| dustrialism and population, although
there were twenty-four only under the
| former Boer republic.
A difficulty may arise I am told. con-
corning the political status OF lndlan
merchants and traders, numerous and
wealthy body, publishing their own news.
| papers in the Transvaal. They are, or
course, British citizens, but they are not
"white" and the Europeans and Hebrews
are very jealous lest they should De
| treated equally with whites. and, In
| fact. there is specific legislation against
them as stringent ana degraoing as IN ine
DAYS of the Boer republic The lndlan
coolies. too are industrious and mostly
qualified as occupiers of property OF the an
nual value of flo. or as wage earners at tne
rate of E1OO a year. Upon the whole. IN
London South African opinion II VIII De
difficult for the pro-Dutch party to quarrel
with this constitution, which is accepted TOT
another stage In the iioEeneh. ~ "o.N
the unification of British South AFRICA In
! a system of federated states.
Many Fatal Motor Accidents.
There have recently been many fatal mo-
| for accidents in and about London and
| great agitation has sprung up regarding
| the excessive speed at which owners drive
| their machines There seems no decisive
| metbod of arriving at what the speed limit
| is The motor act of 1903 is limited in It's
| operation to three years, so that the stat
| ute to supersede it must pass through the
/ house of commons next year. The provi-
| sions as to speed limit were of tenta-
| tive character, and period OF three years
| was fixed for the operation OF the statute
| in order that any amendment OF the law
| might be based on experience of the work
| ing of the act The limitation of the legal
| speed to twenty miles an hour is really fu-
| tile. since it is impossible for bystander
to tell definitely whether car is going