The Washington times., 1910-04-09
Plan TO Construct Two Each.
Year Will Meet With
Opposition.
PADGETT COMPARES
NAVIES OF WORLD
Declares America Already Has
Twice as Many Fighters
as Japan.

While the House has settled on
program Of two battleships for the
navy, it Is by no means certain what
the Senate viii DO on the naval build
ing program The two battleships were
put into the House bill only after
hard fght. Another hard fight viii be
required in the Senate 10 keep them in
Senator Hale is prepared 10 make
vigorous contest against two battle
ships He viii make this in the Naval
Affairs Committee and on the floor Of
the Senate Senator Perkins, who is
chairman OF the Naval Affairs Com
mittee, IS a twO-battleship champion
The position taken by Senator H9Je Is
similar 10 that taken by a number OF
the House members. that one big bae-
ueship added TO the navy a year is
ample
Representative Padgett or Tennessee
in a speech IN the House the other day
set forth the position Of a good maPy
Of the opponents or the tWo-battleshg9
policy. Senator Hale and other Sena-
tors who fgnt against two battleships
are expected 10 stand on about the same
ground. Mr. PsdSett presented mass
OF data on the comparative strength Of
navies which Is Interesting
y Wo NaVleS Compared.
As stated by AIr. Padgett. who Ezsh-
cred his facts from careful authority.
II this country divided its feet and put
one-half IN the Pacific 90 would have
more there than Japan has de de-
clared that Americas weakness in the
Paciic was not lack Of ships but lack
% dociss- He pointed out that japan
has six I6.0e0-ton battleships and the
United States sixteen
Japan has altogether "a flrt-claxz est-
tieShiuE. safd ar. FaGEErr. rrt-ls -tL.e
IfaLe1 Stasas has Izpau has :
DreaduoUEnts- the United States has s
and our tonnage IS larger than theirs
or hrst-class battleships carrying big
guns
By big guns" said Mr.. Padrett- ..T
mean guns Of II. y and = inches csliber.
Guns below II inches are classed as in
ferior or sUb-calIber guns japan has
three DreaduOUEht baftIeshfps carving
Dig suns and two armored Cruiserz-
The United States has tnirry-three frs
class battleships Carrying big guns"
Half Of Navy Equals Japan's.
As 20 big guns. Mr. Padgett said TIE
United States I'D $50 Of them. with
caliber Of Il and 13 inches. Japan has
us big guns Of II and 12 inches. He
summed Up the comparison thus.
"Of the number and displacement OF
IS, the fighting implements OF the navy
the United States has forty-four such
vessels with a tonnage Of 5sz.6s1 japan
rs t"elLy-Iye sucn vesels WITH ton
Taking the completed and. -4ovsded Tor
vessels. the United states has forty
eight such vessels with an aggregate ton
mage of bSS-54l tons Japan has thirty
such vessels. with an aggregate OF 40s--|
$50 tons
so that IN every phase Of the ques-
ton that looks 20 the fighting efficiency
IN the guns and in the ships and in
the size OF the ships-because we have
two OF S5,s0 tons. and the largest that
Japan is building is 210c0 tons in any
aspect Of the case in which YOU may
consider II, you can divide the American
feet BY two, and either half OF il Is
larger and more efficient in fighting ca
pacIty than the japanese navy
German Navy Compared.
Then. Mr. Padgett took Up Germany.
He compared the American and German
navies as follows;
THE United States has eight Dread
noughts AMI Germany has ten Dread
nought battIeships, and three Dread
nought cruisers.
The United states has thirty-threa
first-class battleships carrying big guns:
Germany has twenty frst-cIass battle
ships carrying big guns, and four sm1I
second-class battleships and three
cruisers
''The United States has $50 y and 1z
inch guns Germany has 2lS Il and %
inch guns, but twe1ty-fOUr Of those
guns are upon secOnd-slaSs battleShfps
which. deducted from the total Of 2OS
leaves Germany wish 1S4 big guns and
the United states with $50 big guns on
first-class bsttleships-
I desire TO call your attention to this
fact I said that Germany had thirty
flrst-class battlesfips. and when I am
giving those numbers with reference To
al these nations ] speak OF those built
and building OF these thirty flrst-class
battleshipsr ten Of them have not q
single big gun upon them Ten Of them
are carrying nine-iuch guns. so that in
the ANALYSIS Of fighting power Germany
has twenty firSt-clsSS battieships carry
ing big guns and the United States has
thirty-three-"
Forging Farther Ahead.
Then Mr.. Padgett took up the German
building program. and showed from his
figures that. according to that program.
/ Germany would have thirty-eight bat
teIships In 1917. while thls country.
b--fi5i57e only one battIesbfD a vear
would have forty frst-clsss battleships
AGAINST her thirty-eight-
Mr.. Padgett did not refer 70 what the
erect would be If two battleships a
wear were added by his country. From
his fiEures, however, II appears that If
this country adds two battleships a
year I'D to 1917. Il would have forty
eight battleships against thirty-eight
~ IN other words. II Mr.. Paagett's com
parisons are accurate, and they are
based or facts taken from Pulsifer's
year book. and equally reliable auth0ri-
kfies the United states By gong ahead
Ion A tsvo-battleship buildr< program
anuugSy viii soon leave Germany far
/ behind. saying nothing Of far out5is-
tancing Japan
Establishsa 10.