The Washington herald., 1909-04-04
GROWTH OF THE WORLDS NAVIES
Feverish Activity in Building
Dreadnoughts Is Inspired by
Eneland's Fear of Losing
Supremacy OF the Seas
Tables Showing Present and
Prospective Tonnage.


/ bitterly apostrophizing his countrymen:
Must ye wait fo- the SCATTERED shapns ye learn
how gun is laid.
FOR the low. red CLEAN to the s1uthvard. where
yOur raSded coast t0NEs burut
uAght sc shan have that lesson. but little time
N learn
/ But "arid. aIoof. incurious, unthinking,
unthanking." the empire over which the
sun never sets went on its way, waiting
some easy wonder, hoping some saving
sign" And now an army officer who had
turned playwright for the moment has se-
( compnshed al one stroke al that Kipling
had failed 10 do with all OF his many
/ proddings. In MS extraordinary play
I An Englishmans Home" the fanciful
portrayal Of a sudden foreign invasion
and its dire results has excited England
almost as much as the actually might
have done. In the vernacular, the play
hit tbs British public where 1t lives. It's
far-reaching effect IS shown IN cable dis
patches which describe the turbulent
/ scene IN Parliament when the naval Bill
came I'D for debate and the overwhelming
vote OF so to Sc IN favor OF the rapid up
/ building OF a more powerful navy. says
/ the Philadelphia Public Ledger.
( Navies are essentially business instru-
/ ments. and no amount OF argument can
disguise the fact that they are built for
use and not for ornament There is no
/ need here TO attempt 70 define which Is
/ the governing principle. whether those
who have the greatest strength are the
ones who are most likely 10 use Il. or
whether the mere possession cf armed
strength implies an intention Of employ
4 ing Il But the fact remains that for
many years Great Britain's postulate had
I been that. whatever the cost, she would
Y have a navy superior 70 that Of any two
/ powers. Her attitude has been that. as
| the greater includes the less. therefore oy
! preparing 20 fight a combination OF the
/ two greatest naval powers that prepara-
I ton would make her secure against any
other combination that could possibly be
| conceived. "But now" said Mr. Balfour
/ in his impassioned speech before the
| House. "for the very first time IN modern
/ history we are face 20 face with a naval
/ situation SO new and so dangerous that It
/ is difficult for US 10 realize its import
The Nation Responsible.
/ The nation that has created for England
! the situation so new and dangerous" can
be easily enough identified With good
reason or without, England has long dis
| trusted Germany. and long before the Pro
duction OF the play which so startled the
1 British populace and 80 much electrified
I Is Parliament there was in the heart OF
most every Englishman a conviction that
I n Great Britain ever went 10 Var Ger
many would seize the opportunity 10 over
throw British maritime sUpremancy.
/ Great Britains frankly disclosed pertur-
baton IS now due 10 the vast strides that
/ Germany has been making with her navy
! and instead OF the settled British icea Of
maintaining a twO-power standard, there
are now some excited doubts as 70 her
ability 10 maintain ascendaRcy over this
single one
II Is estimated that thirteen German
/ Dreadnoughts and Invincibles might be
completed by 1911. as against twelve
] Dreadnoughts and four Invincibles which
/ Great Britain would have by November
/ Of 1911. II Germany accelerstes her con-
/ structiOn work she would have seventeen
OF those ships By April OF 1872 Great
/ Britain. Il was pointed out in Parliament,
could not afford 70 take risks. and II she
was 10 maintain her superiority the ad-
miralty must be in a position TO obtain
the delivery OF four additional Dread
ncughts by March Of 1872, thus giving
Great Britain twenty such vessels against
/ Germanys possible seventeen.
Thus. while IL is plain enough that Ger
many is the one power against which
I Great Britain IS arming In such feverish
haste. iJ wocld be a. Ecult 10 say what
/ combination OF two lovers is at present
] regarded by Downing street as being the
most probable.
I But il Is recognized that the kaleido-
/ scope OF International relations can alter
more rapidly than fleets can be bust. par
l ticuIarly those fleets OF DresdnOughts
whose rapid Upbuildine IN Germany has
/ brought so much disturbance 10 the sober
I British mind. These are the all-big-gun
ships which one hears so much Of now
| adays, vessels OF such tremendous Of
fensive and defensive power. OF such high
| speed and wide steam radius. that il IS
now admitted that J'con their preponder-
ance viii rest The naval supremacy Of the
future.
Origin of Big-gun ship.
although the idea OF the all-big-gun
ship originated on this side OF the Allan
tic and had its inception in target practice
in the American navy. that distinguished
italian. Cuniberti OF the Royal Italian
! Corps OF Naval Engineers. has. by reason
Of the capaciousness OF pigeon holes IN
1 Washington. been credited with the first
design. IN the current volume Of James
Fighting Ships Of the World this distin-
/ guished comrnentator notes a remarkable
evolution in German battle-ship design.
although up 10 the present time there
4 had been a distinct difference between
them. or either the French or English
! system OF construction.
/ Continuing, he says that among these
| three great navies the British certainly
/ predominates. but while it is hardly likely
that the other two viii modify their Ideas
in war ship construction, the general
trend OF constructive ideas may now be
modified. as a war between Great Britain
and her two allies is altogether improb-
able"
| This elimination leaves only Germany.
France. and the United States as the on
/ " powers with sufficient naval strength
TO confront Great Britain without being
utterly swept from the seas from the very
start. This country and France may be
/ left out OF the count. as il is not against
either OF these that Great Britsin's ship
| bGilding energies are now directed
But in the untoxard event OF hostnities
! between Germany and England il may
well be assumed that the theater OF con-
fict would not be such as IS portrayed in
the drama Of An Engllshman's Home
but in the North Sea. and possibly also in
the Baltic.
Supposing. merely for the sake Of Illus
/ tratiOn. that the fleets Of the United StatFs
were the ones 20 assan or be assailed
the theater Of war would doubtless be the
high seas; IN the second case. or that OF
! Germany. IL would in al likelihood be
fought out IN the North Sea In the first
event the land armies Of the two powers
would have little 10 Go Il we exclude pos