Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-09-24
RUSSIAN NAVAL PLAN
Dreadnaught Type BattIeships
to Be Built.
WORK IN THEIR OWN YARDS
No Hurry in Construction of Proposed
Complete Squadrons.
BUSINESS PRINCIPLES USED
Small Orders to Be Placed With For
eign Firms to Keep Good Will.
Rurik Success

ST. PETERSBURG, September A.-The
announcement that the Russian admiralty
had ordered battleship Of % 300 tons to
be constructed at the Baltic works here ap-
pears to be premature. Admiral Bostrem
the assistant minister Of marine, said today
that the order had not been placed, as the
plans for the warshfps were not ready
The admiralty, he added, was in no hurry
to begin the construction Of the new navy
and would wait until the entire program
had been approved.
Heretofore the practice has been been to
order the building of ships while their plans
were in q more less indefinite shape,
thereby permitting various constructors to
experiment on the ships with suggestions of
their own, involving many changes and in
consistencies. Hereafter the keels of Rus
sian warships will not be laid until their
plans are finished even to the smallest de-
| tails after which their construction will
proceed without any alterations
Will Build Squadrons.
The admiralty, however, has decided to
built homogeneous squadrons. consisting Of
four battleships, eight cruisers and the
requisite number of torpedo boats and other
craft. The plans for the first squadron are
being prepared by the admiralty. The de-
tails are strictly guarded from publicity.
but it is known that the British battleship
Dreadnaught has been established as a
standard from which the RuSSion designers,
to their regret, cannot deviate very much.
The tonnage of the Russian Dreadnaught
will be somewhat less than $1,000. All
orders for the work of reconstructing the
Russian fleet will be executed in this coun-
try, barring occasional orders, judiciously
apportioned between the foreign builders
in order to keep up connections with them.
The admiralty is aware that the recon-
struction of the feet at home necessitates
but all the rumors to the effect that the
government intends to sell its shipyards
to foreigners are denied.
Strict Business Principles
On the other hand, 1t is said on reliable
authority that the new admiralty ship
yard and the immense Izhor steel armor
works. which hitherto have been purely
government institutions. conducted on the
bureaucratic principle. will, from the be-
ginning of October next, become chartered
companies, to be run strictly COM
mercial basis in regard to profit and
losses. The admiralty will own the stock
Of these companies as it now owns the
stock Of the Baltic works and that of the
Obuchovo gun foundry.
Admiral Bostrem denied the report Of
the governments intentions to abandon
Libau and other arsenals He also said
that the latest trial of the Rurik, the
first-class armored cruiser Of 5000 tons,
built in England for Russia, had been sat
isfactory. she having attained her con-
tract speed of twenty-one knots per hour.
The Rurik mounts four ten-inch, eight
eight-inch, twenty four-seven-tenth-inch
guns and eighteen smaller rapid-f1re guns.
She carries a crew of 500 officers and
men. and her armor consists of three to
eight inches Of Krupp steel.