The New York herald., 1920-12-26
If Building Programme Is
Carried Out, Supremacy
Will Be Great.
HALT is NOT EXPECTED
Harding's Stand for Amer
lea to Be Foremost Mari
time Nation Cited.
TO BE THREE NEW TYPES
Battleships Will Be Largest
and FasteSt-Superdread-
noughts for Undersea.
Special Despatch to THE New York HERALD.
New York Herald Bureau,
Washington, ID. c., Dec. 20.

Special Despatch to THE New YORK HERALD.
New York Herald Bureau,l
Washington, ID. c., Dec. 25.
The question of world naval su-
premacy in the future is brought to
the front as the result of a statement
issued to-day by the Navy Department
concerning the progress of America g
building programme. The announce
ment calls attention to the fact that
three new types of ships for the United
States Navy are now under construc-
ton that will round out the fleet and
add tremendously to it's effectiveness"
The suggestion is carried that the
United States is going ahead with it's
three year programme, which If COM
pleted will place this country in the
lead in naval strength, with Great
Britain in second place, after three
hundred years of supremacy. and
Japan thiro.
The American programme Of con-
structon continues the capital ship as
the backbone of the fleet, but it also
and with provision for an aircraft car
rier, taking cognizance of the grow
ing Importance of the airplane as part
of naval equipment.
Suspension Not Expected.
While there is considerable ferment
over the continuance of the naval pro-
otf.,.
Borah (Idaho) for a naval vacation and
intlmations from Great Britain that
competition in naval armament should
be stopped, there is no reason to believe
the United States will suspend the
three year programme which aims to
place this country in the forefront OF
naval Powers.
President-elect Harding has already
committed himself to the idea OF making
the United States the leading merchant
marine Power of the world, accom-
panying this with the suggestion that
this country should have a navy in keep
ing with its wealth, power and place In
the world.
Experts studying the question profess
TO believe the League of Nations oH any
association of nations can hardly alter
this intention.
There is a keen realization of the
fact that of all countries in the world
the United States is to-day the only one
that can carry such a programme to a
successful fruition and that II Is the
only nation in the world whose success
along these lines cannot be interpreted
as having military menace in mind.
IA. 20 n
nouncement of the progress of construc-
tion does not enter fully into the policy
that has been adopted. it suggests such
n policy in a fairly clear way.
Two Schools Compete.
In Great Britain, where Lloyd George
Is inveighing against "ruinous naval
competition" there Is n wide divergence
OF opinion as to policies of construction.
Two schools are at work there as In the
United States, one advocating the con-
tinued use of the capital ship as the
backbone of the fleet, while another
urges utilization Of aircraft and under
sea craft as the type of machinery which
will make future naviee all powerful.
While the British public and the Brit
ish Admiralty are debating this question
the British Government is feverishly at
work rounding up all available oil pro-
ducing regions. intimatlng the belief
that the capital ship will continue to be
the all important element in a well
rounded fleet. II Is accepted that the
fleets OF the future will burn oil and not
coal
1t is the opinion OF American naval ex-
perts that the failure to lay keels for
battleships in Great Britain Is not due
20 much to abandonment OF the idea OF
the capital ship as. the unit of the future
as TO the necessity of economy. Such
newspapers as the London Times are
carrying on continuous propaganda
against the so-called "waster' and
"wastros'' who are urging greater ex-
penditures for the navy.
The same reasons for cessation In
naval shipbuilding applies to France
and Italy.
In Japan n programme OF naval con-
structon is going on which calls atten-
ton to the desire of that country 20 re-
main In the forefront of naval Powers.
Japan is now constructing eight capital
ships. and by 1924 will rival Great Brit
ain in effectiveness. even IL 1t falls short
In tonnage.
Prospective Compar rison.
The comparison between Great Britain
and the United States shows that In
1924. II Americas programme is carried
out, the navies will stand as follows:
Great Britain. United States.
Gnips .s....ss....s..ls ~
loHnbgc ......s..... 4sf.4oO bb5,OVu
Heaviest guns. .......10 inch. 10 inch.
Greatest speed. ... 81 q knots. 1925 knots.
or the various world Powers Japan
and the United States aye the only coun-
tries which built capital ships during the
war. This means that the vessels OF
these two countries will be Of the newest
pattern-an important item when 1t Is
remembered that the recent British re-
port on the battle of Jutland called at
tention to the fact that the German ships
were faster than the British ships and
Continued on Eighteenth Page.
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