Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1906-12-27
BITTER uGHT ON
FOR GREATER NAVY
Friend and Foe Of Departments
Plans VIII Line up ID Con-
gesss After Holidays.
RELATIVE STRENGTH or NATIONS
shipbuildlne Armor Plate Men, steel
Manufacturers and Others Are In
.erestod in the Result and Spirited
Battle is predlcted-Lobby to be
Active In srusgle.

| the equal of Tnich mas iiol set peeh
seen. will nrobahly commence with the
first meetinp pf the house committee
on naval affaifs after the Holidays to
determine the future policy of the
United states MS to larger naval poa
ers once for jill. At that time 1t Is
expected that there will Ds sharp
| lme.un of natal expansion aud anti
lexpansion men. and the fight promises
| to be one well worth watching. Be-
sides the members OF Congress doing
most of the fighting. will be found
shipbuilders. amor plate men, steel
men. and. III fact, many whose In
comes are largely augmented by tile
United States.
MANY members of Congress who
have heretofore favored building hat.
tleships now proclaim that the navy
is TOP heavy, and they will put forth
their hest effdrts for more coast-6e
fense boats These. they claim. Will
cost less nnd nrove more effective for
our nresent needs, at least while we
have so many excellent and seawor thy
shins now in commission.
! AS an argu'hent why the United
States should besitate before nuthoriz-
| ing the consumption OF more ships Mt
cost of several million dollars each
MT this time n Is proposed by many.
| In favor Of mdre coast defence boat
construction to show by the latest
available figures that 1t would be al
most impossibtt for the United States
ever TO cntcp up or surpass Great
Britain I'm prosS tonnage, aud that to
euunl Franco Thich Is now ahead Of
MS by 75.Ooo tons, would entail an
enormous exntnse and one which
would doubtlesy sacrifice many other
projects were Il to be done.
Relative Strength OF the Nations.
II will also he shown that on Jan. |,
1907 the relative strength of all the
navics of tho world will be as fol-
lows: .At, t "a
England has In commission fifty
first.class battlnships. and has three
In course of construction. She also
has thirty.two armored cruisers and
ten building. 143 torpedo boat destroy.
ers and eighteen building, thirty-seven
torpedo heats. twenty-nine submarines
and forty building 53,
France has nineteen first-class bat.
tleshtps and six building; nineteen ar
mored cruisers and five building; thir-
ty-two torpedo.b boat destroyers and
| thirty-two building; 220 torpedo boats
and fifty-two pudding; forty subma-
rines and thirty building,
The Tinted States has eighteen
first.class battleshipe and nine build.
inc. eight armdred cruisers and four
building. sixteel torpedo-boat destroy.
ers thjrty.two torpedo boats and eight
submarines.
Germany has twenty iirst'class pat
tleships ana five building; six arnior-
ed cruisers and two building; forty
five tornedohoat destroyers and eigh-
teen building. fdrty-four torpedo boats
and twenty subbiarines.
Russia has eisnt Dattiesnips OF the
first-class and lour pulialnB; tnree
armored cruisefs ana lour building;
and TWENTY-FIVE building; flfty.nine
torpedo boats aid twenty submarines.
Italy has nine first-class battleships
ana four brildlng; six armored cruis.
ers and three b,lilding: sixteen torpe-
do.boat destroyers and four building; ;
NINETY torpedo boats and twenty-seven
building.
Austria has two batt1eships and one
building. three armored cruisers, one
torpedo.boat destroyer and five build.
ing. thirty tornedo boats and twenty
England has also 101 cruisers that
vary from ,00o to 5000 tons; France
has thirty.three. United States forty,
-four. Germany thirty-fiye, Japan
Twenty-Five Russla fifteen, Italy thir-
teen. Austria three. &
In coast.defeuce vessels England
has none. France twelve. United States
twelve. GERMANY eight, Japan three.
Russia six. Italy none and Austria
none
Warship, 'onnage.
The relative order OF Warship ton
mage at this date is as follows:
Great Britajii, 1,6i0,765; France
600 ,937. United States. 525.970; Ger.
MANY. 457.4SO. Japan. 3S4,131. Russia
253 ,04O: Italy. 3O2,953; Austria, 49,
527.
When all the ships now being con-
structed are completed 1t will be as
Great Britain. 1851 ,s54; France,
799.o57; United States, 1,196; Ger
many, 56s, 16o; japan, 452,391; Rus.
STA. 375,s2S; italy, 2S3,S17; Austria,
130.727.
The United States will have in
creased her percentage of tonnage
more than any other country In the
world when ali chips now being built
are finished With the exception Of
Great Britain, being only five points
behind her.
IL you are going to buy Wines and
Liquors for the holidays why not buy
the best for your money. Our motto.
"IIonast poo5a and honest measure