The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-04-21
ID BUILD SMALL,
 FAST CRUISERS British Naval Move Inter esting Whole World GREAT AIRSHIP FLEET England Intends Expenditure of About $1 1,5O0,OOO for Army Aero
 pIanes-How to Be Happy
 Though Unmarried
GREAT AIRSHIP FLEET
By PAUL LAMBETH

By PAUL LAMBETH
 London, April 20.-(special)-The an nouncement that there is to be built for the British navy eight small, fast cruis- CTS, heavily armed but lightly armored' is exciting the interest of navy men not only in England, but the world over. It may mean a revolution in naval building. When the exact character of the new type of vessel becomes known it will be seen just what the departure means. Many naval experts, including so emi- nent authority as Lord Charles Beres- ford, hold that it Is a mistake to devote the entire building programme to super Dreadnaughts and 10 the accepted type of auxiiaries for such ships as now constitute the bulk of the fighting strength of the worlds nayies. Some of these go so far as to declare that the eff fective fighting ship of the future will be practically unarmored. but with tremen- dously high speed and guns which will enable it to keep out of range and pound the slower dreadnaughts to pieces with out danger. It Is hinted, but cannot be verified, that these eight cruisers are in the nature of an experiment 10 try out this proposition. Of course. until the truth or fallacy of the contention is dem- onstrated no power will cease to depend on the heavily armored fighting craft
 Cruiser is a very elastic term. It may mean a fast craft with little offensive power. of use merely as commerce de- stroyers or scouts. or 1t may mean ves- sel little if any less formidable and ef fective in the battle line than a battle ship.
 It has been urged in some quarters that a lightly armored craft of from 5,000 to 10000 tons displacement with speed better than 30 knots an hour and with al main battery of two or four 16-inch rifles would be an ideal type of vessel. but it is hardly likely that MT. Churchill in this first experiment will go so far.
 II way be set down as certain though. that the naval experts will watch for the new vessels with the keenest interest.
 Another branch of warfare in which the keenest interest is shown on the part of the British government is that of the air fleet. Something like s1,5o0,000 will be spent this year in developing and in- creasing Englands power in the air.
 There is to be one flying corps for the purpose of national defence. and the present air battalion will be absorbed in the new organization.
 Sixty officers are to be trained at the same time at the new aviation school to be built on Salisbury plain, where a tract of land has been secured at a cost of e9O,0o0. It Is proposed to pass through 1S0 officers in one year The corps is to be divided into military wing and a naval wing. The military wing will con- sist of seven aeroplane squadrons with 12 machines each, and there will be an eighth squadron of balloons and kites. The naval wing is not yet settled.
 The army scheme will involve the pur chase of 131 aeroplanes Even this will leave England far behind France in the air. France Is spending something like $6.O00000 on it's air fleet and soon will have about $50 craft with a thoroughly efficient corps of air men to handle them.
 Salt Bush Bill, an expert with stock whip lasso and boomerang, whom the King saw perform when as Prince of Wales he was travelling in Australia, gave an exhibition of his skill in Buck ingham palace this week before the King and Queen. Queen Alexandra, the Prince of Wales and Princess Victoria. Their majesties thoughtfully arranged that as many as possible of their own servants
 
 performance. Salt Bush Bill, assisted by a girl, gave a marvellous exhibition of whip-cracking, lassoing and boomerang throwing, which their majesties and the Prince and Princess frequently applaud ed. Bill took away interesting and val uable mementoes of the visit
 The House of lords has read second time a bill which in it's way, is unique. This was a measure introduced by the Lord Chancellor with view to the leg islation of marriages contracted by Brit ish subjects in Japan subject to the treaty revision of 1899. Prior to that date marriages performed in Anglican churches by accredited clergymen of the church of England were valid. The church. like the consulate was regarded for the purpose on hand as British ter ritory.
 After July 1, 1899. however, when extra terrltoriality in Japan was abolished, such marriages ceased to be valid and registration at the British consulate was necessary. The extraordinary thing was that neither by consular officials nor by. the clergy were British subjects apprised of the change in the situation Some 90 couples were united in the holy bonds of matrimony, as they believed. by repre- sentatives of the church of England in Japan, before the bringing of an action
 in the London divorce court in 1908 raised the question of the validity of these unions. The object of the present bill
 Is to legalise these marriages retrospec- lively.
 How to be happy though unmarried" is the ideal which the Simple Life exhib- tion at Caxton hall. London. professes to realize for bachelors. Among the vari- ous accomplishments which the eXhibi- tior offers to teach young men and so render them independent of womanly help are: Washing up sock darning, boot cleaning. stove management, bed mak- ing. sweeping. cooking, furnishing. Charming girls, dressed in Greek cos tune. are there to show the young men how to put a glorious shine on their shoes and how to make sock alarming a real pleasure. Also to be seen are one room bachelor apartments. comprising bedroom. sitting room. Kitchen bath room, all rolled into one by the use of the interover. . cooking range with boiler a. the back. which can be changed to grate and vice versa. and demonstra- ton of the art of tueking sheets in.
 The increasing attention that Scotland Yard has to give 10 the words of speak- CTS on strikes, syndicalism and socialism has severely taxed the energies of the political branch which has had to de l especially with this question of free sneech. and the staff is to receive imme- diate and considerable endorsements It is interesting to note that the head of this political branch Is an Irishman. h. 1 spector Quinn, and that the majority of ! a also TriShmen-