The Washington herald., 1921-09-15
Question Is: Shall Powers
Curtail Present
Building?
UNEQUAL FLEETS
ARE POINTED OUT
United States outranked
In Two Types of
Ships.
By ROBERT ). BENDER.

The crux OF the Forthcoming
Washington conference on arma-
ment Limitation Is in the present
naval building programs Of the
great powers.
Whether machinery Is set up for
immediate reduction of naval arma.
ment or whether. there is 'estab-
lished merely formula for future
limitation of warcraft building will
depend on the ability of the ma
tions to agree on disposition oi
their present building outlays.
Three Questions.
The Questions are these:
/. Shall the powers go aheat
with their present building. agree
ing on q policy to prevail in tn,
future, or
.. Shall the powers establish ma
chinery for curtailing present build.
ing activity to relieve the imme-
diate ia burden involved in this
work?
3. II the present programs are
to be curtailed, in what classes OF
ships are the cuts to be made?
Each wants Present PrsEram.
The situation confronting the
conference has been brought rather
sharply into relief by dispatches
from Tokyo declaring IT to be the
decision of the Japanese govern
ment that its present naval build
ing program must be carried out
to completion. And this. as those
in touch with the attitude of Of
ficials here have known for months,
Ii the attitude, too, of the Ameri-
can government on its own build
Ing program It will be recalled
that Secretary Hughes recently
made It very clear that the forth
coming conference was for the pur-
pose of limiting armaments and
not for disarmament"
This governments attitude fs
further brought into relief by the
revelation of Director Of the Budget
Dawes yesterday that his esti-
mates on departmental savings
showed that none had been sub
mitted by the Navy Department.
"Must Go Ahead.-
Before the armament conference
was called President Harding made
II quite clear to those interested In
the subject that there was no in
tentio non thesSpart of the United
states to Junk" the work already
haRnn anfoNNr.
to date, on the present naval pro-
gram. Since the conference was
called government officials have
supported this same contention
that the United States must &c
ahead with its present construc-
tion program.
II this ultimately proves to b.
the immutable disposition of the
negotiating powers here, the con.
ference will of necessity confine
itself largely to the creation of a
formula and machinery for future
armament Limitation, while the tax
payers go on carrying their present
burden. Against such a program
there would certainly be very loud
clamors from Congress and from
much OF the public who are expect.
ing Immediate armament curtail-
ments.
The Navy Argument.
On the other hand, II the work OF
effecting immediate reductions is
taken into consideration, the United
states Is in the delicate position OF
having to advocate continuation of
her present naval program Just
the same. As America is inferior
to Great Britain both in the matter
OF great battleships and battle crui-
sers and inferior to Japan in the
matter of battle cruisers, United
states naval authorities say the
breach between this country and
England in the battleship class
must be narrowed while the breach
between the United States and ia
pan in the battle cruiser class must
be wiped out. The only way to do
this would bbe for Japan to cease
building battle cruisers, England
to cease, building battleships-and
the United States to go ahead with
her present program to ist COM
pletion.
1t Is difficult situation-realixed
before the conference was called
and largely responsible for the hest :
fancy Of President Harding to call
the conference up to the time that
International developmemnts made
further delay inadvisable.
Need Battle Cruisers.
This country. however is not so
much concerned about England's su-
periority in battleships. Its prime
concern Is in the fact that the
United States today has no battle
cruisers, while Japan has several OF
modern type. The battle cruiser is
regarded now as perhaps the most
generally effective fighting craft
afioat. The United States is building
enough to wipe out her present in
feriority to Japan in this class. She
cannot-and 1t Is safe to prophesy
that she will not-cease this phase
OF her building program, unless
Japan agrees to sink her cruisers of
this type. a ridiculous consideration
naval officials agree.
Japan's determination to 20 on
building-even extending the time
In which her present naval pro-
gram may be completed-makes the
issue Of the present naval programs
the biggest nut for the Forthcoming
to crack.