Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-05
CHANGE TN MINISTRY
THE "BIa BATTLEsHIP ERA. Is
THOUGHT TO BE AT HAND.


PARIS. April 5.-Despite the change In
the French ministry 1t would appear as
though no radical changes are to be made
In the French naval program. 1t would
appear as though the era of large floating
engines of destruction is at hand and the
period will undoubtedly be known in his
tory as The Big Battleship Era" Ger
tain 1t Is that France, like the United
states Is being drawn into the construction
OF naval monsters OF the English Dread
nought type, and In France today as In
England. the United States and Germany
there does not appear to be the slightest
disposition to count the cost when it Games
to a matter of getting the best warships. -
M. Thomson. than whom there is probably
no better naval authority in all France
.housh others there may be with greater
technical knowledge In a statement reeen.-
~ declared that 1t should be remeuabered
mat the program of 1900 was simply drawn
up with the idea of replacing obsolete shins
with ur-to-date vessels and not to a ss1Irgno
any marked superiority. The French naval
program. according to NJ Thomson merely
cans Tor the keeping OF the French navy
up TO It's proper standard without exceed-
Ing the credit OF SIC. 100000 in round
ngures devoted to building purposes But
M thomson asserts that the situation has
peen nooiIed by the new programs adopted
In england, and also and more particularly
Ia Germany. where the construction of
nFe armored cruisers and other ships was
decided upon last November Judging from
tne proposed expenditure the big German
vessels would exceed 1900 tons and would
be Of the size of the French battieships
Inc naval budget In Germany was steadily
growing.
War Between China and japan.
Discussing the recent war between China
and Japan, N. Thomson remarked thar to
him the critics appeared to have been
rather hard On the protected cruiser The
Japanese cruisers of this type had done
good service at the beginning Of the war.
he thoughtAso good, in fact that more were
already being built. England, too, had
inserted four extremely strong cruisers In
her newest program. NJ Thomson Is great
~ In love with the plans of the six new
battleships. 1t is stated that their speed
Will be nineteen knots and that they will
carry four guns OF 12-irch and twelve guns
OF e.5-inch. M. Thomson says that he does
not believe the armament of the Dread
nought-ten Pinch guns, superior to this.
AS TOT speed, the Dreadnought would steam
at the rate OF twenty-one knots, but this
was owing to the installation of the tur-
pine. type which has been tried In France
and found too expensive.
M. thomson says that in many things he
agrees with NJ. Lockroy- in the GONNA rison
instituted by the latter between the French
and German navies. Leaving out of con-
sideration tho question of the distribution
OF the naval forces under consideration by
the conseil superieur and considering mere
iy the big units of the northern and Medi-
terranean fleets, M. Lockroy claims to have
found that Germany possesses a superiority
In artillery. both as to the caliber and the
number of the guns In 1909 the units
provided for in the program of 1900 would
be Incorporated in the fleets of France
as Wen as III those of Germany. 1t should
not be forgotten that the program of 1900
did not purport to increase the French
naval forces as did that of Germany. but
only to substitute more powerful units Tor
those that We're getting out of date.
Keeping Rank for France.
The program aimed at keeping for France
her rank without exceeding her credit of
$25.oo0.0oo. DIR. Lasalle has been COM
municating his ideas of longevity to the
Academy of Medicine. They are those of
Flourens. who set them forth In his lee
ture at the Sorbonne, but Flourens had
not the same opportunities for basing his
theories on a broad foundation of statis-
tics. Reasoning from analogy he con-
Guided that human beings ought to live
five Or six times longer than 1t took them
to attain the full adult state. that Is to say.
from Ne to six times twenty or twenty
five years.
up" continues DIR. Lasalie and the crea-
ture II left to die a natural death does so
at age varying from ten to twelve
years. The dog takes two years and lives
to be twelve or fourteen; the horse five and
goes on. to twenty-five or thirty. A WELL
constituted human being. therefore, GER
tainly ought to live from a hundred and
twenty to a hundred and forty years"
In addition to the cases of longevity cited
by Fqourens DR.. Lasalle gives long list.
Some of them which the doctor claims to
be fairly well authenticated almosr take
ones breath away. For instance, Peter
Czortan, who died recently at Temesvar, In
Hungary, was 1873 years OF age, and an old
man frlame not mentioned) has just turned
his oOOth year in an asylum at Pulsk. The
statement is also made that he buried his
wife In his 1880 year.
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