Evening star., 1909-06-05
CANADA WILL BUILD A NAVY
PREPARES PLANS FOR FLEET
TO COST $4,000, 900.
Twenty Thousand Sailormen to Re-
cruit From-Imperial Sanction
Sought-Terms Of Treaty.

MONTREAL. June 5.-The Dominion of
Canada has finally decided to show her
imperial spirit by an offer to build navy
OF her own, to act. should the occasion
arise. as an auxiliary force to Great
Britain's fleet.
Her contribution to the forces Of the
empire will consist Of eight first-class
cruisers, ten torpedo-boat destroyers and
ten torpedo boats. The government is
prepared to pay one-fifth of the cost for
laying down the whole fleet Immediately,
the other four-fifths to be guaranteed
paid within the next five years.
All the contracts for building the ves-
sells will be made with British firms. and
ARRANGEMENTS have already been made
for building several Of the torpedo boats
and destroyers with the well known firm
Of Hawthorn, Leslie & Coote Of Newcas-
tle-on-Tyne.
Shipyard on Great Lakes.
The larger vessels will be built on the
Tyne, but for the construction of the
smaller craft a shipyard may be opened
on the great lakes, probably at Colling-
wood, Ontario.
It Is not stated positively how much
the government is prepared to spend, al
though Mr.. Coote seems to think that be-
tween $1,000. 900 and s5.OOO.OOO a year for
five years is a fair estimate.
The plans, In a few words, are: Cruis-
ers Of a similar type to the Cornwall
class. each cruiser to cost slightly over
So, 600, COO, have a draught Of not more
than twenty-five feet, 80 that they can
navigate the st. Lawrence as far as Mon
treal without trouble, and a displacement
of about 10000 tons. They will be equip
ped with turbine engines and burn Oil for
fuel. They will act as a base OF sup
plies for torpedo boats. which are ac-
knowledged to be the best type of vessel
for coast defense, the service for which
the fleet Is to be built
Canadian Naval Reserve.
The torpedo boats at first will be of the
Scourge or Wolverine type of the British
navy.
The first vessels will be built entirely
in England. manned and armed there,
and brought to Canada. BY that time 1t
is intended that a Canadian naval re-
serve, drawn from the fishermen Of Nova
Scotia and New Brunswick, will have
been organized, which will go aboard
these vessels and eventually receive suf-
ficient training to man them with a
nucleus crew of artisans and experts
from the old country.
Experienced workmen from the old
country will also be brought out to give
the shipbuilding yard on the lakes a
start. but these also will eventually be
turned over to Canadians.
1t is explained here that Canada's re-
ported plan to build torpedo boats at
some port on the great lakes would con-
flict with the treaty OF 1917, which pro-
yides that the naval forces to be main
tanned upon the American lakes by Great
Britain and the United States shall be
confined to the following vessels:
ION Lake Ontario. one vessel not ex-
ceeding 100 tons burden and armed with
one 1S-pound cannon.
ION the upper lakes, two vessels not
exceeding like burden and armed with
like force.
"On Lake Champlain, one vessel not
exceeding like burden and armed with
like force.
"All other armed vessels on these lakes
shall be forthwith dismantled, and no
other vessels Of war shall be there built
or manned.
1.-THE naval forces so to be limited shall
be restricted to such services as will. In
no respect, interfere with the proper
duties Of the armed vessels of the other
party"