The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-03-10
TOTAL STRENGTH
 IF JAP PANESE NAVY Over Two Hundred Vessels Be- long to Present Navy GOVERN MENT IS CRITICISED Critics Ask Why Japan Should Devote Big Sums to War Purposes
 When Navy Shows Such
 Increased Strength.
GOVERNMENT IS CRITICISED

Tokio, March 9.-Some reliable fig- ures are now to hand showing the present strength of the Japanese navy as compared with it's strength when tn e war broke out. Details are appended, but the totals may be briefly stated, viz:
 A total of 157 vessels of all de- criptions represents tonnage of 2s3,- 742 before the war, and 204 vessels and 515,0S2 tons at the present day. Fur ther scrutiny of the figures show that Japan today possesses more than twice the number of battleships she had be- fore the war, 8 third as many more armored cruisers, three more other cruisers, nearly three times as man y destroyers, but three fewer torpedo boats. Her naval losses during the war included two battleships, viz: the Hatsuse and Yashima; eight cruisers, the Takarago. Yoshino. Sayom, Miyako, Heiyen. Ttago, Oshima and Kaimoa two destroyers. the Akatsuki and Hay atori; seven torpedo boats. or total of 1s vessels and 46,618 tons. On the other hand as against the two battls- ships torpedoed by the Russians the Japanese captured four, and in the bat tie of the Japan Sea five battlesh fps, representing 62.524 tons. as follows: The Orel. now named the Iwami tn 8 Peresviat (SagamD. Poltaya (Tango). Retvisan (Hisen) and Pobieda (Sue). In addition there were taken Il unarm- ored cruisers C1,276 tons) five de- stroyers t1740 tons), or a total of 21 vessels, representing 135,54o tons. Thus the net gain without further building on Japan's part is seen to be two in number and sS.924 in tonnage. the dis crepancy between these divisions be-
 ing due to the fact that Japan's chief gains were in battleships and cruisers. Critics of the expansion programme naturally ask why on the face of these figures, which indicate an advance of fully 90 per cent, including new con- structions, the government should still persist in making appropriations for the army and navy more than Ss per cent of the total national expenditure for the next fiscal year. Leading finan- ciers and business men do not hesitate to point out that so long as the above disparity is maintained the country must expect to invite foreign distrust. while forthcoming attempts to negoti- ate a new loan are likely to encounter no small opposition. and even If sue . csssful will prove so only at the cost of sacrifice of prestige in the shape of some form of hypothecat The following figures are given:
 Strength when the war commenced: Battleships, six. S4.652 tons: armored cruisers eight. 7S,982 tons; other cruis- CTS, A, 11,47o tons; destroyers. 1s, 615s tons; torpedo boats. so, 7119 tons. Totals, 157 sh ips. 2sS,74a tons.
 Built during or since the war: Bat tleships, four, 7l,500 tons; viz: the Katori, Karshima, Aki and Satrunn. the two last of which are now receiv- ing their armaments-
 Arrnored cruisers, four. 56,700 tons. vizt the Tsukba. koma, KuIuma and Ibuki, the two last of which arc now receiving their armaments
 Otner cruisers. five, To06 tons. viii: