The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-03-18
ENeLAND's NAVY AND OURS
Former Appears to Get More for Its
Money.


The British naval estimates, in
themselves, are always interesting but
they are doubly interesting when they
are compared with those of the Uni
ted States for the same year. 1t is
particularly worth while to note what
we pay for our navy. what England
pays and what we get for our money
and what England gets. The naval
bill as passed by congress this year
carries $136, 1895, 1906. In return for
this expenditure we receive in the way
of new construction two Dreadnoughts
eight torpedoboat destroyers, one col
Her and four submarines. The Brit
ish estimates provide for an appropri-
alton of $l75,713,500 with which will
be built four Dreadnoughts, six pro
tected cruisers, twenty destroyers and
S.. 900 900 worth of submarines.
In other words, England at an out
lay Of about $40,000,000 more, receives
in return, twice as many Dread
thoughts and more than twice as many
destroyers and submarines as Ameri-
ca and besides all this will have six
! protected cruisers to put up against
one fleet collier.
In this connection, however, ii must
lbe remembered that estimates include
and other things beside construction
works and il should not be forgotten
that the prices of material and labor
are much larger in this country than
abroad.
The American bluejackets are bet
ter paid and better fed than the sail
ors of any nation on earth. The Brit
ish estimates have recently been
made public and show an increase Of
close to s15.OeaQ00 over the estimates
of last year. They fully prove that
1t is the governments determination
to keep pace with the other naval
powers and that no halt is likely to
be called in the international compel
ltion for superior naval ornaments.
In addition to the four new Dread
noughts, which are to be built as
speedily as possible, the government
seeks the power to start building, If
necessary, in 1910 four additional
large armored vessels The type OF
these latter ships is not indicated in
the estimate though il is generally es-
timated that they are to be two battle
ships OF the Dreadnought type and
two armored cruisers. There is little
doubt, however, that this part of the
naval program will be dependent up
on the progress made in Germany's
battleship construction.
The statement of Reginald McKen-
ma. first lord of the admiralty, natur-
ally makes no reference to foreign
powers and further light on the gov
ernments intention must be awaited
until the estimates are discussed in
Parliament. An interesting point in
the estimates is that the admiralty
has under consideration the use of dir
ligible airships for naval purposes and
has decided to carry out experiments
and construct an aerial vessel.
Under Mr.. McKenna's program
Great Britain should have by the end
of 1911 fourteen vessels of the Dread
nought type against thirteen to then
be completed by Germany.
Mr.. McKenna's statement says that
two of the new Dreadnoughts will be
commenced in July and the other two
i'm November 1909 1t also announces
the coming absorption of the channel
feet into the home fleet which will
place twenty-five fully hammered bat
tleships and fourteen fully manned ar
mored cruisers in home water togeth
er.
According to the best information
the government has recently ascertain
ed that the German program of battle
ship construction is being carried ou'
much more rapidly than had been sup
posed and It was this knowledge thai
led to the adoption of the unusua
plan.