The Washington herald., 1920-12-13
Harding May Seek Agreement With
England and Japan to Suspend All
= Naval Construction for Five Years

construction, and stimulating Anglo
Americsn-Japanese naval rivalry.
The, argument they win present
to Mr.. Harding is that Great Britain
has today the most powerful navy
in the world. and il is so vastly SUI
perior to the combined navies Of the
whole of Europe that she has moth
ing to fear from any single Europ-
can power, or from all of them u
she should find them allied against
her. Germany. the one power of
whom she was fearful, has been rem
dered impotent. and the restoration
of her strength during the next 1ve
years is impossible. Japan is the
ally of Great Britain. There is left,
then. only the United States. whose
navy ranks second to that of Great
Britain. The men who will Suggest
10 President-elect Harding the naval
status-quo refuse 70 believe there Is
any danger, immediate or remote, of
war between Graf Britain and the
United States.
Their conclusion is that the safe
ty Of Great Britain on the sea is
assured. The navy of Japan is third
in rank, but the American navy so
greatly exceeds that of Japan in
the number OF ships and the weight
OF metal that could be brought into
a fleet action that the Upited States
has nothing % fear-frutu -sapgh.
According to these men. who
have had expert calculations made.
the American navy today is in every
element superior to the combined
navies of Japan. France and Italy.
A hostile combination, directed
against the United States. can safely
be disregarded. II the naval holi-
day is agreed TO. the relative posi-
tion Of the three great powers
Great Britain. the United States and
Japan-will at the end OF five years
be uninlpaired. Vessels and guns
will be five years older than they
are today. Some of the ships will
be obsolescent. perhaps even obso-
lete. but as deterioration will be the
same in all the navies. no country
will gain any advantage, or be
placed at greater disadvantage than
any other.
Vast Outlay Affirmative.
IF no agreement is to he reached
as 10 the cessation Of naval con-
struction in the next five wears. hun.
dreds of millions Of pounds will
have been spent by the three prin-
cipal naval powers. which. in the
opinion of the men behind this
movement is not only foolish but
criminal. because of the terrific bur-
den of taxation IL will lay upon the
whole worid-and the world, they
say, cannot stand Il. That is the
material consideration governing
them. 1t is simply q quesfNRr Of
money, of Ending revenues 10 Meet
expenditures. of using money TO
build ships that ought. in their be-
lief. TO be used for other purposes.
so as to bring back the world 20
normal conditions.
III. however. il is impossible to
conclude an agreement these men
predict the greatest naval competi-
ion the world has ever known. The
United states will go ahead with its
present pregram. which looks to
America being the premier naval
power in 1923. Either Great Britain
must see the trident pass into
American hands. or hold il more
firmly than ever in her own hands,
which means that for every dread
naught laid down in American yards
Great Britain will have TO match
II, perhaps even in the ratio of one
ana half. so as TO retain the su-
premacy OF the seas. Japan. in the
meanwhile, will not be idle. She
cannot. Of course, hope to compete
with the United States. as she is
too far in the rear to be able 10
catch up apd she has not the finan-
eial strength to keep even'with new
American construction, but she can
strain her resources to the utmost.
not to fall too hopelesly behind; ana
that is what these men say will
follow.
What OF the shipbuiIder.f
There are. OF course, practical
difficulties to be overcome. Bur they
are not regarded as insurmountable.
Germany, for instance, must NOT he
allowed to build ships while the
rest Of the world is idle. ana onno.
sition can be expected from shin
builders who win claim. Justly
enough. that their plant win he
ruined and their Organization will
go to pieces IL they are unemployed
for five years. - :
Probably owners, of shfaxards
VIII have toSbs .compensat. by the
government So as to nnainpafn Them
at state of efficiency in case of
emergency requirements. But the
money that IL would cost would he
baeatelle compared with the vast
expenditures put into new construc-
tion. Details, my informants say.
can be worked out and need not be
considered now. The main thing is
to reach an Anglo-American-J
nese agreement That done. every
thing else could be satisfactorily
arranged" =.
IL. Is within the range Of prob
abilities that the main purpose Of
the Morning Posts article Is to