The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1912-02-21
AMER|CANNAVY
IS SUPERIOR TO
THAT OF JAPAN
ONE or TIE BEST KNOWN AND
MOST CAPABLE GERMAN NAVAL
OFFICERS so STATES IN AN AR
TIcLE PUBLISHED IN BERLIN.
BY Associated Press.


Berlin, Feb. 2O.@The overwhelming
superiority of the American navy over
the Japanese is proclaimed by Captain
l. Persius. one of the most capable
and best known Of the retired naval
officers writing in the German press, in
an article just published in the Berlin
Tageblatt.
Captain Persius's views show a com
plete conversion from those advanced
until now by himself Lieutenant Count
Won Keventlow and the other German
naval publicists, who for several years
have been regularly predicting the
coming war between the United States
and Japan and the inevitable triumph
Of the Japanese fleet and army, Homer
Lea's work, THE Valor Of Ignorance"
serving for them as a text book.
Captain Persius can now see no
probability of a war before the opening
Of the Panama canal or at any appre-
ciable date in the future, and asserts
that the Japanese navy, far from being
equal to that Of the United States Is
weaker than at the outbreak Of the
Russo-Japanese war. The then modern
battleships are, he says, now obsolete.
The ships captured from the Russians,
have very slight fighting value, and
the increment through new battleships
is extraordinarily small.
Only the batt1eships Aki and Satsu-
ma, completed with almost record
breaking slowness of construction IN
five years, can be considered modern
ships, though these carry only four r.
inch guns instead of the usual dread
naught armament, and it is extremely
doubtful whether Japan's first two
ships of the dreadnaugnt class, the
Settsu and Kawachi, will. be finished
in time to join the fleet this year. y.
first class battleship cruiser is under
construction in England: another has
recently been started in Japan. These,
with small cruisers, destroyers and
submarines, represent the total in
crease since the war with Russia.
The attempt to construct battleships
in Japan has proved, according to Cap
tain Persius, a failure. due to the def
ciencies Of the Japanese steel works
and the lack of technically trained
workmen in the yards. In confirma-
ton Of this is cited the Japanese min
lister of marine, who, in a speech be-
fore parliament, admitted that the
foreign built ships were superior to the
Japanese built, and that the govern
ment steel works were not up to re-
qufrements.
Comparing the Japanese and Amer
lean fleets, he finds that Japan has
1874, 800, to oppose to 81 American bat
tleships of 200 tons, including six
dreadnaughts, with six more American
dreadnaughts under construction.
The financial weakness Of japan
viii, he holds, bar any extensive appro-
priations for naval purposes for years
to come, and the United States needs
no longer fear for its Pacific posses
sions.
The navy Of the Argentine Republic
will shortly be increased by the addi-
ton of two torpedo boat destroyers,
the finishing touches to which are now
being watched at the shipbuilding
companyss yards in Danzig by repre-
resentatfves of the republic. The COM
elements of the two new craft, 80 men
for each, or $50 in all, are already IN
Kiei. The Krupp works will arm the
destroyers and supply them with other
equipment.
Neither politics nor 3arty services
have anything to do with the choice of
the mayors of the German cities
Greater Berlin, which recently adver-
tfsed for candidates for the posts of
director. or mayor, has received applt-
cations from thirty men. In the list
are state and city officials, educators,
merchants and leaders of big indus
trial enterprises. While 1t is likely
that a Berliner will eventually be
chosen for the post, an outsider may
be taken from any part of the empire
to preside over the dest1nies of the
greater city.
Prince waldemar, of Prussia, eldest
son of Prince Henry, the emperor's
brother, win leave Genoa this month
for a sfx-rnonth trip in the east. The
trip IS of an entirely personal charac-
ter. The prince will make stops mt
Ceylon and Tsingtau, among other
places, and may visit japan, although
this is not yet settled. He has studied
law at Strassburg and Kiel, and passed
last month his examination as a pro-
stationary barister, entitled to practice
la wor assist judges without receiving
emolument.