New-York tribune., 1908-06-14
THE FRENCH NAVY
Cause of It's Decline from Second to
Fourth Rank.
Paris. June /.


The French navy is in an unsatisfactory and
inaeed a critical condition. France. instead of
being the second naval power, now ranks as the
fourth and possibly the fifth. The naval budget
and programme for 1909, although not yet pub
,ished In detail are sufficiently outlined in the
estimates of the Minister OF Finance, communi-
Gated this week TO the Senate and the Chamber of
Deputies TO disclose the fact that nOtwithstand-
ing the sound judgment and energy Of the pres
ent Minister of Marine, NJ. Thomson. no important
improvement is TO be looked for-certainly not
before the lapse Of four five years. From
strictly military point Of view the vulnerable
features Of the popular Anglo-French entente
cordiale are the British army and the French
navy.
The yearly sums that France has expended
upon her navy have practically remained sta
tionary since 1903. In that year the naval
penditure was ss2o0o0o0, This has been in
creased TO S66 500 600 for 1909, but with the ex-
press restriction imposed by the Chamber of
Deputies that the construction supplement Of
IS 10000 shall apply only T. vessels actually
building and not a cent Of this sum can be
pended upon new constructions. In the opinion
Of naval experts these figures indicate most
clearly that France declines to retain her place
among the leading naval powers. The situation
is all the more startling when compared with
that Of Germany where S35.o00.000 is spent
yearly upon new construction, as against the
paltry and absolutely inadequate annual appro-
priation Of Se5,090,000 set apart for the same
object by France
Last year NJ Thomson. Minister of Marine
succeeded in obtaining the adoption by the French
Parliament Of his shipbuilding programme. and
the Chanbr Of Deputies voted the simultaneous
laying down Of six battleships Of 800 tons dis
placement. TO carry armaments intended be
superior TO that of the British Dreadnought
These vessels were to be propelled by steam tur-
hines which should give them the speed Of the
Ireadnought class. It takes twice long TO
build battleship in France as in Great Britain.
The construction Of the proposed six battleships
was found to be so severe a tax upon the
sources OF the French shipbuildng establish
rnents that the Chamber OF Deputies decided
that the period occupied in building them should
extend over four years.
II was intended that two of these ships should
be ready for service at the end of 1916 and the
four others in the summer Of 1911. The totai
cost TO be borne by five financial years. the
annual average expenditure for the six battle
ships being about s12.ooeooo, 1t would have
been a far wiser policy TO have fewer new con-
structions in hand and TO complete them as
quickly as possible. because under the present
system of slow work France can never hope to
put her new fighting units in commission until
they have become back numbers as compared
with the latest types of hattleships cruisers
completed in Great Britain. the United States
Germany. Russia Japan. II is now consid-
cred very doubtful whether the proposed six bat
tleships Of the Danton class. which correspond
with the British Dreadnought, can be completed
within the specified time
The difficulties that the Minister Of Marine has
TO face are moreover, increased by the fact that
his construction budget is hampered with the
payments Of more than s1,5000o0 which fall
due for building the already obsolete battleshIps
1Aberte, Verite and Justice. now approaching
completion. and which figured in the naval pro-
grarne OF 1900. There are altogether eighty
vessels IN different stages of construction in the
French dockyards. About thirty Of these sc-
cording 20 the official programme ought 10 he
completed before January, 1909. OF these two
are armored cruisers twelve destroyers and six
submarines and submersibles
The French authorities have now discovered
that the policy carried out by NJ Pelletan dur
ing his nearly three years tenure of or5c. as
head OF the navy has been a terrible setback for
the fghting value Of the French feet From an