New-York tribune., 1907-10-29
TIE NErr AnrRIcAN BArrLESHIp.

THE NEXT AMERICAN BAIT iLfHHH.
There is a good deal of speculation about the
size of the next battleships which Congress
will be asked to authorize. The Navy Depart
ment is reticent in regard TO its intentions. ana
nossiblv may not vet have decided finally upon
its programme Secretary Metcalf and his al
visers may wish to avail themselves Of all pos
sible information In regard to the plans OF
other naval powers before formulating one for
This country At any rate. the rumor that
larger ships than those which were sanctioned
al the last session will be recommended may
at present be considered premature.
A wear or two ago it was believed that Japan
contemplated building battleships having n
greater displacement than the Satsuma u0,2oO
tons), and her purpose was cited as Il reason
why the United States should not be content
with duplicating the Dreadnought $4,000 tons)
The supposition about Japan seems to have
had some foundation, but her plans have aP
parently been modified. According to The
London Standard" Admiral Yamamotos recent
visit to Europe and America led him TO advise
q change 1t is now expected that the displace
ment of the projected vessel will be scarcely
more than 10000 tons, instead Of 21 900. Though
her armament may be different from the Satsu-
mas, she will be no bigger. Possibly the re
action in japanese policy may have been sunni
lated If not inspired, by the discovery that
Great Britains next battleships are to have
displacement of only 1890 tons
There is still much uncertainty about Ger
many's Intentions, but II England and Japan
are not alarmed about them II is hard to see
why the United States should worry. A cable
dispatch from Paris this week reported that
the general staff Of the French navy had de-
cided In recommend the construction OF battle
ships of 10000 or 21,OO0 tons. The suggestion
NAV not be adopted, however. Indeed, it is
extremely unlikely that France will undertake
to go further than England and Japan in the
Immediate future There is a prospect, them
that the Delaware and her sister ship, eacn
displacing 10000 tons, will be bigger than any
foreign battleship the construction of which
is now definitely proposed. Perhaps under
these circumstances Secretary Metcalf may
feel that at present II would be tnerpedlent
TO pass the limit which he set last winter.
For making the next battleships practically
identical in size with the Delaware another
argument has been advanced. There Is sup
posed TO be an advantage in having certain
degree of uniformity In the vessels under a
single command. The squadron OF four ar
mored cruisers which Admiral Brownson took
out to the Philippines year or two ago could
at that time be matched only in one other
navy in the world, and one of its merits was
the quality Just referred to. When the cruiser
Tennessee was projected lt was propoSeu 10
give her three sisters. There are five battle
ships in the Virginia class, and six like the
Connecticut What promises to furnish the
closest parallel in strength to Admiral Evans's
feet within the next year or so is the British
Channel fleet under Lord Charles Beresford.
| It is IN he cOrnDOsed of eight battleshpS OF one
class and six of another. Among the Amer
lean battleships now under contract or nearly
ready for service there are three groups of two
each The Mississippi and the Idaho are so small
and slow that they are undesirable models to-
day. The Michigan and the South Carolina are
| the first vessels to which the one-calibre-gun
principle will be applied. and they ought to
| prove powerful fighters, but talk about addi-
| tions 10 the class to which they belong seems
to have ceased. The Delaware and her sister
will have displacement of 1000 more tons
| and mount two more heavy guns than the
Michigan Hence if further advance on the
| latest precedent should be deemed advisable
there would be fresh loss of homogeneous
|