The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-10-20

hsvrh~en hatlit and ars tpsid,ns ts~'y~
mtltcn Yen wss the sim srt esitr w w"
Ut"f ~ The beginning ~ ihta year tor tho
fst.atrina ~ tho captured R't.stsn shif's
aud The constructors w Jspsnr~~ yards ~
new rnes. Al ~ tho Rt~sisn ships hsvs
nov hcen rcmisrd and are Nv cusufuis-ion,
anil nov hsttic~hip- have h~~n Isit duun
both ~ kurr anil yoko-uks. The naval
trogrs,nm- walls for th" CONSTRUCTION "
thre" hattlcshir-. nine srvuor~i r~ruisers
and ten fast cruisers The kstor and
kashima. first cinss hattic~hit~ butt In
tlhsa" yards. are already In commission
w" Ali and Satrums. lele0 ton Hattie
shira, cithsr arr already In cc'ninis-'on ~
shortly will be.
The karr gun plant s- capable NJ turning
ont guns from three 20 twelve inches and
employs 5000 men. The OSAKA gun works
makes eight inch naval guns. siege mortars
ana heavy ordnance for fortifica'ions.
An order was recently placed In America
Tor machinery 10 make four Ia twelve inch
guns. About 5000 men are employed In the
various departments II this plant under
the command of Gen. Kawatani
because OF the increased capacity OF the
nome plants for gun manufacture the
purchase OF heavy ordinances from abroad
has steadily decreased. About a month ago
n report from Germany had IL that the
krlppe were building thirty twelve inch
guns for japan. When this report was
cablcd TO n foreign paper in Yokohama an
official denial Of its authenticity was for
warded To thee dito Of tina paper 10y the
War Office. Whatever business japan may
do In the purchase Of guns abroad goes TO
the hands Of w. q. Armstrong, Whitworth
a Go, and Nickers Sons a Maxim. both
English firms.
At the present time japan IN taking
measures To build up "A great auxiliary naval
station and d~ockyard out Of the property
of tho kaWasaki Dockyards Company at
Kobe. Matsukata. the president of this
company, who recently spent ten days in
New York. has just been to England on a
mission of a semi-offcial character in con-
nection with che plan to make the kawasaki
yards a government adjunct.
The kawa-aki company's plant in fully
equipped for the construction Of warships
or the smaller class. Several torpedo
boats were put together there during the
war and the company has Just turned over
To China a cruiser Of the second class which
was built and equipped at the kawasaki
yards. Ina addition to his ~shipbuilding
plant the company has several drydocks
OF a capacity sufficiently great TO accom-
modate cruisers Of the smaller class.
In pursuance of its decision 20 equip
the kawasaki dockyards with added facil-
tiles Tor use in emergency the War Office
recently sent Matsukata TO confer with the
Armstrong; and the Vickers company in
England in reference to the large order
for shipbuilding machinery necessary
to expand the kawasaki yards to the de-
sired capacity. Matsukata conferred with
some American manufacturers OF the de-
sired machinery while in New York. but he
placed no orders.
THE SUNS informant thus sums up the
nature Of the work being lone in the
Japanese shipyards and arsenals:
The War Office il having more work
done than at any time during the war
with Russia. The output OF the arsenals is
larger han il ever has been and the work
that has been don in putting the Port
Arthur and Maizuru naval bases into shape
has increased the defensive arm OF the
Japanese navy by a great deal. IL il sur
prising to one knowing the financial situa-
ton OF the empire to see the tremendous
expenditures being made on preparation
for war. Yet it is all being lone so quietly
that nobody not connected with the military
knows anything about the situation. None
of the newspapers is allowed to print any
details that the Government does not
itself give out for publication. and that 10
OF the most meagre sort. A paragraph
Of 81. lines in a foreign paper published
in Yokohama announced a month ago that
the Government had placed an order with
the Fairfield Shipbuilding Company Of
England for an $1,000 ton battleship."